Three Hat Tricks Propel Men’s Lacrosse to Win Over NJIT - University at Albany Great Danes (2024)

Score: UAlbany 14, NJIT 9

Location:Lubetkin Field at Mal Simon Stadium in Newark, N.J.

Records:UAlbany (5-6, 4-1 America East) | NJIT (7-5, 0-5 AE)

Short Story:The University at Albany men's lacrosse team got back to its winning ways on Saturday afternoon, taking the trip to Newark, New Jersey, and defeating NJIT by a score of 14-9.

Key Stat Lines

• Three Great Danes recorded hat tricks – Silas Richmond, Ryan Doherty, and Graydon Hogg. All three players recorded one assist each to finish with four points.
• Amos Whitcomb scored twice on back-to-back goals in the second quarter.
• Ben Wimmer and Parker Emmett each scored a goal.
• Daniel Kesselring recorded three assists.
• Jake Piseno scored his ninth goal of the season with the long pole. He also added five ground balls and three caused turnovers for a monster day.
• Regan Endres went 16-27 at the X with nine ground balls and a caused turnover.
• Landon Whitney finished with seven saves, Jack VanValkenburgh finished with one.

How it Happened:

• The Great Danes struck first with a goal from Graydon Hogg less than two minutes in, but NJIT's Brandon Wasitowski tied it less than 60 seconds later.
• UAlbany Ryan Doherty made it 2-1 after collecting a rebound on a shot from Daniel Kesselring, but NJIT again responded quickly with a goal from Benjamin Roberts six minutes into the game.
• With 5:29 remaining in the first, Ben Wimmer put the Great Danes up 3-0. But, in similar fashion, NJIT immediately responded with a goal from Adyn Cover 50 seconds later to tie it up.
• The Great Danes were able to break away soon after, scoring back-to-back goals. Doherty first collected his second of the afternoon on a highlight reel goal coming from behind the net before leading scorer Silas Richmond got in on the action with his first of the afternoon to make it 5-3.
• The Highlanders scored the first goal of the second quarter courtesy of Beck Gozdenovich, his fourth of the season. Gozdenovich tied the game up at 5-5 moments later after taking it himself on a transition goal.
• Amos Whitcomb scored back-to-back goals with just over five minutes remaining in the second quarter. The first came on a feed from Kesselring in front of the net, sent in on one fluid motion. The second came 20 seconds later on after Whitcomb came from behind the net, luring the goalkeeper to behind the goal before scoring on a wide-open shot.
• The Highlanders responded a minute after Whitcomb's second goal on a score from Owen Corry, making it 7-6.
• Parker Emmett put UAlbany back up two goals with 2:02 remaining, coming from behind the net and scoring on a diving shot.
• The Great Danes went to the locker room at halftime leading 8-6. UAlbany outshot NJIT 27-12 in the first half, with the Highlanders having a 9-4 advantage in saves. UAlbany had four first-half turnovers, NJIT had eight.
• NJIT scored the first of the second half, a BTB goal from Jack Bowie.
• UAlbany's Richmond pushed the lead back to two goals just past the 10-minute mark after collecting a rebound on a shot from Hogg.
• Graydon Hogg scored the final goal of the third quarter with 1:18 remaining to make it 10-7.
• The Great Danes rattled off three quick goals to start the final frame. Jake Piseno started the scoring with his ninth long pole goal of the season. Two goals were scored within 13 seconds of one another, the first from Richmond and the second from Doherty. Each goal completed the hat trick for both players. The scoring frenzy gave UAlbany a 13-7 advantage with 13:27 remaining in the game.
• The Highlanders scored twice to bring the game back within four goals, the first from Garrett Muscatella and the second from Benjamin Roberts.
• Hogg completed the hat trick late in the fourth, the third Great Dane to do so, making it 14-9.

Next:The Great Danes have two road contests next weekend with a trip to Yale scheduled on Friday night and a trip to Merrimack on deck for Sunday. Stay up to date with UAlbany men's lacrosse by following the team on X (@UAlbanyMLax) and Instagram (@ualbanymlax) for all of the latest news and highlights throughout the year.