Smith and Blessard combined for all 7 Crusader goals; Carroll holds off Men's Lacrosse
WAUKESHA, Wis. – The University of Dallas men's lacrosse team battled Carroll University in a tight contest that concluded in a 9-7 setback for the visitors on Saturday. It was the narrowest margin of defeat for the Crusaders (2-9) this season as Carroll (4-7) gained the edge for the remainder of the contest on the third lead change.
NOTABLE STATISTICS
(Individual Notes)
- Tyler Smith (Snoqualmie, Wash.) earned his second hat trick in the last three games and scored a career-best four goals.
- Ben Blessard contributed a hat trick of his own with three goals as he combined with Smith for all of UD's goals in the match. Blessard also dished a personal-high three assists to give him a game-high six points.
- Jacob Tom (Waukesha, Wis.) amassed a career-high 12 groundballs in his hometown matchup.
- Blessard, Smith, and Peter Early (San Antonio, Texas) combined for 19-of-20 shots by the Crusaders with eight, six, and five, respectively.
- Christian Lopez (Las Vegas, Nev.) had 14 saves against 23 shots faced in the cage.
- The Pioneers were led by Dannon Ivey with three goals. Jeffery Schultz had the other mutli-goal game.
- Abraham Escarda notched six saves against 13 faced in a complete 60 minutes.
(Team Notes)
- Dallas was outshot 38-20 in the game, but only by two (15-13) in the entire second half. The Crusaders had 13 shots on cage.
- UD edged Carroll in groundballs with a season-high 42.
- Dallas was 2-for-11 in man-up opportunities, while CU was 1-for-7.
- The Pioneers won 13 faceoffs in 18 chances. They also had a 16-for-18 display in successful clears. Dallas went 12-of-17 in clears.
- The 38 shots allowed tied the second fewest on the season with Millsaps College in February. The only amount lower was the season opener a day prior to that match against Fontbonne University.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Pioneers got on the board early as Ivey broke through with a goal four minutes into the contest. Paul Kerchberger had the assist on that play. Dallas responded with the next two scoring results with eight to play in the first quarter. Smith was able to nab both goals as Blessard sent in assists on the duo of scores. They happened within under a minute of each other. Carroll's Schultz got an equalizer with about three minutes to even things at two.
In the second quarter, the home team stole the momentum by scoring three-of-four goals in that span. UD's Smith earned his hat trick with the third straight goal and Blessard was able to throw his third assist to keep the two players leading the team in points that afternoon even with a trio apiece.
Ivey and Kerchberger once again teamed up for the goal and assist to close the first half. Drake Nikolai pushed the Pioneers ahead for the remainder of the day.
As mentioned above, the momentum favored CU in most of the second. Dallas committed 11 turnovers out of its 27 in this period. Dallas also was outshot 17-3, went 0-for-5 in faceoffs, and was the lone frame to not reach double-digits in groundballs with six. Lopez did stop half of his 14 saves all in this 15-minute span, and the guests finally got on the board to remain close.
In the third, Smith had a power play opportunity and netted his fourth goal and the team's fourth of the match. The Crusaders surrendered two late goals with under 40 seconds to give Carroll a three-goal lead heading into the final 15 minutes.
Blessard rallied Dallas back from being down 8-4 with all three of his goals in the last quarter. Bogar Trout III (Tecumseh, Mich.) threw his fifth assist of the season and team's fifth of the match on Blessard's second scoring result.
Dallas fought hard to get the game tied on what would have matched its season-high for total goals on the spring and in both triumphs. Instead, the Pioneers hustled down field in transition on as the clock ticked down to below 40 in the match and Schultz had the goal that essentially sealed this one.
UP NEXT
Dallas is at University of Dubuque on Sunday for a 12 p.m. start.