HOLLAND, Mich.-- The Trine men's lacrosse team claimed its spot in the postseason with a 13-6 victory over Hope in MIAA action Saturday afternoon at VanAndel Stadium.
Four players notched multi-goal efforts to pace the attack, while the nation's 11th-best scoring defense locked things down on the other end in the victory. Neil Orr (Lombard, Ill. / Montini Catholic) notched his first career three-goal effort for the Thunder. Chris Ward (Oak Lawn, Ill. / St. Rita) matched that total with three tallies of his own to bring his career total to 98 goals. Ward added an assist. With the win, Trine improved to 5-2 in the MIAA and notched the No. 3 seed in the MIAA Tournament. The five conference wins are the program's most since the league began sponsoring lacrosse in 2013. The Thunder are 8-5 overall this season.
Paul Carlquist (Downers Grove, Ill. / Downers Grove South) and Kevan Barissi (Grand Rapids, Mich. / Forest Hills Central) each added two-goal efforts for Trine. Nick Maher (DeWitt, Mich. / DeWitt) also notched a multi-point effort with a goal and two assists. Jake Ahearn (Naperville, Ill. / Naperville) and Daniel Shine (Chicago, Ill. / Lane College Prep) each contributed a goal each for the Thunder.
Travis Lores (Kildeer, Ill. / Lake Zurich) made eight saves in 59:26 of action to earn the victory in net. Lores entered the day ranked seventh in the nation in goals-against average. Alex Jamieson (Hartland, Wis. / Arrowhead), Mitch Leahey (Lake Orion, Mich. / Lake Orion) and Colin Lelito (West Chicago, Ill. / West Chicago) each caused two turnovers as Thunder players were credited with 12 caused turnovers in the contest.
Trine notched 23 ground balls to Hope's 11. The Thunder also won 13-of-22 face-offs. Max Harris (Green Bay, Wis. / Green Bay Southwest) won 7-of-11 face-offs.
MIAA leading scorer Gunnar Elder scored three goals to lead the Flying Dutchmen. Elder entered the game averaging more than four goals per contest. Mike Odea added a goal and two assists for Hope.
The Flying Dutchmen opened up a 3-2 lead early in the second quarter, but the Thunder scored eight straight over a span of 16:32 to take a commanding seven-goal lead.
Orr tallied all three of his goals, including one on the man-advantage during that stretch. Orr's final tally made the score 10-3 with 8:26 to play in the third quarter. Ward added two goals and an assist during the eight-goal spurt, while Carlquist notched both of his tallies during that time frame. Hope never closed the deficit to less than six the rest of the way.
The Flying Dutchmen concluded the season 9-7 overall and 3-4 in the conference. A Hope win today could have forced a potential three-way tie for the final two MIAA playoff spots.
Trine will travel to face Alma Thursday, May 5 in the MIAA Semifinals. Face-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. The Scots earned the No. 2 seed with a 6-1 mark in conference play. A full preview of Wednesday's contest will be available in the coming days.
