BOSTON, Mass. – Senior Eric Zuk's (Carlisle, Mass.) goal with 12:58 remaining in regulation snapped a 4-all tie and sophomore Christopher Rullan (Wexford, Pa.) made 15 saves, including two in the final 20 seconds as the MIT men's lacrosse team won its second straight game with a 5-4 win over Wentworth.
Senior Dan Piemont (Summitt, N.J.) had three goals, while Zuk added two in the win. Seniors John Kucharczyk (Manhasset, N.Y.) and Nick Sisler (Waterbury Center, Vt.) tallied two assists apiece for the Engineers, while senior Chris Guilherme (Derry, N.H.) had two of the Leopards' four tallies.
Guilherme got the Leopards on the board with 2:05 left in the first quarter with a shorthanded marker. The score remained 1-0 in favor of Wentworth until Piemont scored from Kucharczyk with 10:33 left in the half and Zuk tallied his first of the game – also assisted by Kucharczyk – with 5:22 left to give the Engineers a 2-1 lead. Guilherme notched his second of the game with 1:51 left in the half to tie the game at 2-all.
Wentworth took a 3-2 lead on a sophomore Greg Ordway (Freeport, Maine) goal 2:07 into the second half, but two goals by Piemont – one at 7:13 and the other 38 seconds later – gave MIT a 4-3 lead. Freshman Christopher Kipp (Scarborough, Maine) knotted the score at 4-all with a goal with 5:10 left in the third quarter.
Zuk's game-winning goal came after Wentworth had a chance with just under 14:00 left, but Rullan made a huge stop on a Guilherme shot.
Both teams had chance to score as the contest wore on, but neither would find the back of the net. With 46 seconds left, Wentworth gained possession after an Engineer turnover. The Leopards called time out with 33.8 seconds left to set up a play in an effort to tie the game. Rullan made a save on a Guilherme shot with 20 seconds left, but MIT failed to clear as a long pass was intercepted by Wentworth freshman goalie Jeff Bathalon (Maynard, Mass.). The Leopards were able to clear the ball as time was winding down, but one last attempt was saved by Rullan as time expired.
Bathalon made eight saves and collected seven ground balls, while sophomore Tyler Forthofer (Glastonbury, Conn.) picked up six ground balls. Junior Mike Swenson (East Lyme, Conn.) won seven of 12 face-offs.
MIT improves to 5-6 on the season and closes out the regular season on Saturday with a Pilgrim League contest at Springfield. Wentworth sees its two-game win streak come to an end and finishes the season at 3-10.
