Men’s Lacrosse Outlasts Roger Williams in Double-Overtime Thriller, Clinches No. 2 Seed in CNE

BOSTON, Mass. – Five goals by Brendan Kroll, including the double-overtime winner, lifted the Wentworth Institute of Technology men's lacrosse team to a thrilling 11-10 edge over Roger Williams in Conference of New England play Wednesday night.

With the win, the Leopards finish the regular season with an overall mark of 13-4 (6-2 CNE), clinching the No. 2 seed in the upcoming CNE Tournament. Their second-highest seeding is their highest finish in the conference standings in program history. Meanwhile, the Hawks head to the postseason with a 9-8 overall mark (5-3 CNE).

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Tyler Longo opened the scoring for Leopards at the 11:53 mark with a man-up tally. The Hawks answered with a goal just 1:03 later before Drew Bouley (8:59) and Kroll (8:30) rippled twine just 29 seconds apart to give Wentworth a 3-1 lead. The two teams traded scores for much of the remainder of the frame, as the Leopards got contributions from Gabe Cobham and Erik Vogt to hold a 5-4 edge after one.
• After Roger Williams knotted the score at five-all just 29 seconds into the second, the Leopards rattled off a 3-0 run featuring goals by Kroll, Cobham, and Kobi Buffa, to take an 8-5 lead by the 4:56 mark. Matt Hemmert struck for the Hawks in the late going to mark an 8-6 score at the half.
• Eric Brooks cut Roger Williams' deficit to one at the 13:54 mark of the third frame before Kroll struck twice (10:38, 10:03) within a 35-second span to give the Black & Gold a 10-7 lead. The Hawks rattled off another 3-0 run in the fourth, spanning across 1:55, to knot the score at 10-all and force overtime.
• The two teams each had their chances to nick in the first overtime frame with the Hawks owning a 5-1 shots advantage. In the second overtime, Wentworth gained possession early, and following a timeout, Kroll snapped one to the twine from Longo to lift the Leopards to victory, 11-10.
• Tom Gardner propelled the Black & Gold to victory, aiding with 12 saves, six ground balls, and a caused turnover. At the X, Connor Charron went 19-for-25 with nine ground balls.

NOTEWORTHY:

• With his nine ground balls, Charron now holds the program lead in career ground balls (previously 379, now 383).
• The Leopards are now 6-1 at home this season. Their 13 wins match their program-best output just a season ago.

SERIES NOTES:

• Tonight marked the 40^th all-time meeting between the two teams, with the Leopards coming out on top for the first time since 2006.

NEXT UP:

• The Leopards will host a CNE Semifinal matchup at Sweeney Field on Wednesday, April 30.