Published: October 10, 2005
Queens, N.Y.
The Red Storm plays well against top
programs.
The St. John's men's lacrosse team played for the Algonquin Cup
at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y. on Sunday, Oct. 9. The Red
Storm played toe-to-toe with two veteran programs, Stony Brook
University and Hofstra University.
St. John's played well in both games despite the absence of
eight key players. But returning to the Red Storm bench after being
injured was sophomore
Justin O'Donnell (Levittown, N.Y.) and senior
John Kutner (Garden City, N.Y.). Both players made an immediate
impact on the field today. Meanwhile, backup goalie
Chris Barto (Bay Shore, N.Y.) stepped up and made several great
saves as he played every minute in both contests.
In St. John's first game, the Red Storm faced-off against Stony
Brook, losing 7-5. St. John's rallied from a 5-2 deficit in the
second half, scoring back-to-back goals and closed the gap to just
one with just under 9 minutes to go.
Despite the loss, seven different Red Storm players contributed
to the offensive effort. Sophomores O'Donnell,
Jack Rosson (Severna Park, Md.),
Felix Forbes (Corning East, N.Y.),
Tom Michaelson (Bethpage, N.Y.) and freshman
Tom Manes (Philadelphia, Pa.) scored goals while Forbes, junior
George Kaleh (Sugar Land, TX) and sophomore Randy Mills
(Freeport, N.Y.) each picked up an assist.
Last year, Stony Brook finished tied for third in the America
East Conference (AEC) and went 10 and 6 overall. The Seawolves had
also climbed their way up to No. 13 in the nation in the STX/Geico
Coaches' Poll and finished the season at No. 21.
In the Red Storm's contest against Hofstra, the two squads
finished locked at 7. Like the first game, St. John's came back
after being down 5-2. The Red Storm scored five of the next six
goals to overcome the deficit and even took the lead, 7-6 with 11
minutes remaining.
In the tie, five Red Storm players scored goals. O'Donnell and
freshman
Bobby Fitton (Oak Hill, Va.) scored two goals each while
sophomores
Kyle Brant (Silver Springs, Md.), Michaelson and Rosson had one
a piece. Meanwhile, Manes, Forbes and Fitton each recorded an
assist.
The Pride has made it to the semifinals of the Colonial Athletic
Association (CAA) tournament the last two seasons. Last year,
Hofstra finished 8-8 and Mike Unterstein was named the CAA's Rookie
of the Year while Brett Moyer was named the CAA's Defensive Player
of the Year.
"This was a great experience and a good morale boost for the
guys," said head coach
Rick Sowell, "We are a second year program with mostly young
guys and we matched up well against two established teams. I'm
happy with the way we played and by the end of today, I feel like
the program got better."
Today's tournament concludes St. John's fall schedule. The Red
Storm begins its spring schedule on Feb. 25 in Baltimore. Md.
against Robert Morris.