ANGOLA, IND. -- Junior Matt Zanichelli (Rolling Meadows, Ill./William Fremd) scored four goals and assisted on another to lead the Trine University men's lacrosse team to a 10-7 win against Alma (Mich.) College in a first-round game of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Tournament at Fred Zollner Stadium in Angola, Ind.
Alma (5-10) scored the first two goals of the game to grab the first lead, 2-0. Trine (5-6) then rattled of three straight scores to end the first quarter that started with a man-advantage goal by Zanichelli at the 5:54 mark and was followed by goals from sophomore Andrew Douglas (Liberty Twp., Ohio/Lakota East) and Zanichelli again as the Thunder led, 3-2, after the first 15 minutes.
The three goals by Trine to end the first period were the beginning of a larger 6-0 run as the Thunder added three more scores to begin the scoring in quarter number two. Sophomore Noah Markus (Woodbury, Minn./East Ridge) tallied the first goal for Trine at the 10:23 mark and was followed by a second goal by Markus about two-and-a-half minutes later. Senior Jarod Schepp (Oconomowoc, Wis./Kettle Moraine) concluded the scoring run with a goal just past the seven-minute mark and increased the Trine lead to 6-2. Later in the quarter, Alma struck for a goal with 3:15 to go for the final score of the half and make it a 6-3 game at halftime.
The third quarter saw just two goals scored in the period with a goal by each team. The Scots struck for the first goal with 10:18 on the clock, but the quarter ended with Zanichelli scoring his third goal of the game at the 8:52 mark to send Trine into the fourth quarter with a 7-4 advantage.
Zanichelli added to his offensive output with his fourth and final score early in the fourth period on another "man-up" opportunity with just over 12 minutes remaining. Trine continued to separate itself on the scoreboard with another goal 14 seconds after the Zanichelli goal when senior Tyler Corless (St Clair Shores, Mich./De La Salle) found the back of the net to make the score, 9-4. Alma made things interesting with three straight goals in the span of about two-and-half minutes late in the quarter to narrow the gap to 9-7 with 1:22 left in regulation. Trine then won the ensuing faceoff which allowed the Thunder to take time off the clock which led to a series of penalties by Alma and translated to a final goal by Trine in the final seconds en route to the 10-7 final.
Zanichelli led all scorers with his five-point night (four goals and one assist), followed by Corless and Schepp who both scored a goal and two assists for three points. Markus and senior Dave Keptner (Midland, Mich./H.H. Dow) rounded out the multi-point scorers with two points each. Markus finished with his two goals, while Keptner scored a goal and also an assist. Douglas and senior Brandon Matuszczak (Hoffman Estates, Ill./William Fremd) both finished a point with Douglas scoring a goal and Matuszczak an assist.
Freshman Nick DiPaolo (Flemington, N.J./Immaculate) started at goalkeeper and played the majority of the game to claim the win with 15 saves made in 59:26. Senior Anthony Marasco (Naperville, Ill./Nequa Valley) played in 34 seconds to fill in for DiPaolo who was assesed a penalty and did not allow a goal in his brief time in net.
Trine will travel to Albion, Mich. to face top-seeded Albion College on Tuesday, May 4 in a semifinal game of the MIAA Tournament. The game is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
