Box Score WATERBURY, Conn. – Junior Cameron Joyce (Braintree, Mass.) registered his fourth-straight multi-goal game, and the Southern New Hampshire University men's lacrosse team snapped a 12-game losing streak with an 11-6 victory over Post University at LaMoy Field on Tuesday. The Penmen improve to 2-12, while the Eagles fall to 5-8.
Joyce led the Southern New Hampshire attack with his fourth hat trick of the season and also collected a game-high nine groundballs. Sophomore Keifer Heckman (Peabody, Mass.) added two goals and an assist, while classmate Daniel Trainor (Billerica, Mass.) also finished with three points on a goal and a pair of helpers.
The Penmen got off to a strong start and built a 4-1 lead after one quarter of play. Freshman Khyan Gaddy (Albany, N.Y.) staked SNHU to a 1-0 lead when he buried his second goal of the season 5:32 into the contest. After Post tied things up 90 seconds later, Trainor tallied his eighth of the year to push the Penmen back in front by one. Freshman Dan Malave (Wading River, N.Y.) gave Southern New Hampshire a two-goal edge when he rifled home a feed from Trainor with 57 seconds to go in the first. Heckman closed out the quarter with an unassisted goal with three seconds left to put the visitors in front by three heading into the second.
Joyce opened the second stanza with his 23rd of the year just nine seconds in. After sophomore Patrick Goff (Nashua, N.H.) won the opening draw, he found Joyce on the break and the junior sharpshooter fired one past the Eagles' netminder to make it 5-1. Post trimmed the Penmen advantage to three at 13:56, but Joyce responded with his second of the quarter with just under nine minutes to play before the half. After Jon Hanlon brought the Eagles within three with 8:29 to go, graduate student Phil LaTorre (Londonderry, N.H.) made it 7-3 in favor of Southern New Hampshire with his ninth at 6:27. Joyce completed his second quarter hat trick with 2:36 to play in the half, and the Penmen carried an 8-3 lead into intermission.
Post was able to score the only goal of the third quarter before Southern New Hampshire was able to put the game away in the fourth. Sophomore Zach Jacobs (Tewksbury, Mass.) scored his fifth goal of the season 4:13 into the final frame before freshman Corey Cairo (Wading River, N.Y.) made it 10-4 midway through the fourth with a man-up strike from Heckman. After Trevor Buchas brought the Eagles back within five, Heckman potted his second of the night with 2:05 remaining in regulation that sealed the victory. Post added a goal at 1:56 to make it 11-6, and provide the final margin of scoring.
Senior Crosby Nicholson (Andover, Mass.) stopped 11 shots to earn the win between the pipes for the Penmen. Goff finished the game 11-for-16 at the faceoff X, and LaTorre and sophomore Will Thompson (Southington, Conn.) each raked in five groundballs.
Southern New Hampshire wraps up its season on Saturday when it hosts Le Moyne College in a senior day showdown at 1 p.m. on Larkin Field. The Eagles also close out their 2015 campaign on Saturday when they welcome Chesnut Hill College to LaMoy Field at 1 p.m.
