DALLAS, Pa. – Immaculata used a three-goal second quarter to take control of Saturday's Pennsylvania Athletic Conference men's lacrosse game against Misericordia University and claim an 8-5 victory. The win marked the two-year old program's first victory, halting what had been a 15-game losing streak.

 

“Our celebration after the game might have been a little over exuberant, but our players deserved to win and celebrate,” said Immaculata head coach Bob Bush. “I hope this is the first of many wins. What these players and coaches have gone through over the last year and a half has been very tough on everyone. The players never stopped working, and great friendships have been made along the way.”

With the win, the Mighty Macs record now stands at 1-4 for the season and 1-1 in the PAC, while the Cougars fall to 1-6 overall, 0-3 PAC.

Sophomore Tom Hartney led the Mighty Macs with three goals and one assist for the game. Freshman Brendan Dinneen also added three goals to the Mighty Macs winning effort. Junior Geoff Lorentz tallied two goals, while sophomore Zach Krytzer and freshman Drew McLaughlin each registered an assist.

Sophomore Andrew Sim made 17 saves to pick up his first career win in the cage. His five goals allowed marked a career-low.

“Tom (Hartney) played great today for us, and it wasn't just his goal scoring,” said Bush. “Our entire defense also played outstanding. Casey Grandelli, Brad Hamlet and Brandon Mader were absolute standouts on defense, while Stone Gahagan and Zach (Krytzer) did a great job on face-offs.”

Immaculata established the tempo and dominated early. The Mighty Macs led, 4-0, at halftime. It was the first time the Mighty Macs had ever led at intermission and marked the first time Immaculata had led the entire game.

Each team netted three goals in the third quarter, and Misericordia found the back of the cage twice more in the final stanza, but could not overcome the early deficit.

“After the first game last season, [March 11 versus Manhattanville] I took the players over to the scoreboard so they could look, feel and remember what that loss felt like,” said Bush. “I told the players that when we won our first game, I would do it again so they could remember what that felt like as well. And that was exactly what I did after the game today. It was a total team effort and I want the players to enjoy the feeling.”

Immaculata will look to continue the momentum on Wednesday, April 2, when it hosts Moravian at 4 p.m.