PAXTON, Mass. – Freshman Jeff Guilherme (Derry, N.H.) led all players with seven points and five assists as the Wentworth Institute of Technology men's lacrosse team snapped a nine-game losing streak, defeating Anna Maria, 12-8, in a The Commonwealth Coast Conference contest at AMCAT Field. The win improves the Leopards to 2-9 (1-9 TCCC), while the AMCATS finish their season at 5-12 (1-9 TCCC).
Wentworth jumped on the board first as Jeff Guilherme fed sophomore Connor Swanson (Holden, Mass.) for the game's opening goal with 7:19 remaining in the first quarter.
The AMCATS bounced back to tie the score less than two minutes later when Biscardi took a pass from Peterson and found the back of the net to knot the score at one goal apiece.
Chris Guilherme scored the final goal of the opening quarter to regain the lead for the Leopards, 2-1.
Both teams notched three goals apiece in the second quarter to go into the locker room with Wentworth holding a slight 5-4 advantage. Peterson scored two of the second quarter goals for the AMCATS, including a tally with just two seconds remaining in the period, while Jeff Guilherme dished out two helpers in the frame.
The Leopards came out of the intermission to score three of the first four goals of the third quarter, including both a goal and an assist by Jeff Guilherme, to build an 8-5 lead.
The AMCATS responded by scoring two of the final three goals of the period, including a score by Biscardi with just three seconds remaining in the quarter, to cut the Wentworth lead to 9-7 heading into the final stanza.
The Leopards controlled the fourth quarter, outscoring the AMCATS 3-1 while killing several man-up opportunities by Anna Maria to seal the 12-8 victory.
Jeff Guilherme added six ground balls to his two goals and five assists to pace the Leopards, while brother Chris Guilherme (Derry, N.H.) scored a team-high three goals in the win. Senior Matt Cox (Granger, Ind.) added two goals, while junior Mike Swenson (East Lyme, Conn.) collected a team-best seven ground balls, and senior Bill Ainslie (Hanover, Mass.) led all players with five caused turnovers. Freshman Jeff Bathalon (Maynard, Mass.) earned the victory in net for the Leopards, making six saves to improve to 1-4 on the season.
Junior Brad Peterson (North Kingstown, R.I.) led the charge for the AMCATS with a team-best four points and three goals, while also pacing all players with 12 ground balls. Freshman Andrew Biscardi (Wantagh, N.Y.) had a nice game as well, scoring three points on two goals and one assists while also adding seven ground balls in the loss. Junior Mike Saulnier (Wrentham, Mass.) chipped in with two goals and five ground balls, while sophomore Rodrigo Henriques (Saugus, Mass.) scored one goal, grabbed five ground balls, and won 12-of-17 faceoff attempts.
The Leopards will take to the field again on Monday when they host Wheelock at 7:00 p.m. in non-conference action.
