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Canisius midfielder John McCain cradles the ball during game action versus Cleveland State at the Demske Sports Complex on March 6, 2022
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6
Canisius CAN
15
Winner Vermont VERMONT
Canisius CAN
6
Final
15
Vermont VERMONT
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Canisius CAN 0 3 0 3 6
Vermont VERMONT 4 3 6 2 15

Game Recap: Men's Lacrosse |

Men’s Lacrosse Falls in Non-Conference Finale at Vermont

Vermont benefited from a pair of lengthy runs at the start of both halves on its way to a 15-6 victory over Canisius in collegiate men's lacrosse action Saturday at Virtue Field in Burlington, Vt.
 
David Closterman recorded a hat trick and added two assists to pace the Catamounts (4-6). Jonas Hunter tallied a goal and two assists for a three-point afternoon while Tommy Burke was 17-of-20 at the faceoff X with a game-high four ground balls.
 
Redshirt freshman Colin Kelly finished with two goals and an assist for the Golden Griffins (2-7) while sophomores Keegan Kozack and Hunter Parucki tallied two goals apiece. Graduate goalie Matt Vavonese posted a career-high 19 saves between the pipes for the Blue and Gold.  
 
In the final non-conference contest for both programs, Vermont used a balanced attack and a stingy defense to race out to a 5-0 lead. Five different Catamounts scored during the run that lasted more than 23 minutes while the UVM defense kept Canisius at bay during the sequence, limiting the Griffs to a total of just seven shot attempts.
 
Kelly finally got Canisius on the board midway through the second quarter, sparking a stretch that saw the Griffs score three of the last five goals of the frame to make it a 7-3 contest at the break.
 
Vermont regained control of the proceedings in the third, tallying all six goals scored in the frame to build a commanding 13-3 advantage. Five different Catamounts found the back of the net during the third-quarter surge, highlighted by a pair of tallies from Nick Alviti.
 
The teams traded goals during a fourth quarter that saw Kozack score twice and Parucki notch his second of the game, giving the Griffs a 3-2 edge in the frame while also determining the final nine-goal margin.
 
Head Coach Mark Miyashita's Postgame Comments
"Although the score might not reflect it, our 6-on-6 defense throughout the course of the game was really solid. We had a significant deficiency in the faceoff battle today that led to a lot of possessions for them and I really give our defensive core a lot of credit for the way that they played. At some point, teams are going to get a goal on you here and there, but they really battled and showed a lot of resiliency throughout the afternoon.
 
"Early on we had a couple of chances in our first few possessions to put the ball behind the goalie; he made a couple of saves, we hit a pipe and then we had a bad substitution pattern in reverse transition that led them to get that quick one in on the fast break. Same thing off the faceoff to start the second half. We just broke down in some very key fundamental areas that we've got to be better at. That's what's going to happen when you play against great teams.
 
"It comes down to consistency. We've talked about that word from the beginning of the year, about being more consistent. What we've seen too often is when we've played play together in spurts it's been good, but it hasn't been for a full 60 minutes. Or, we get a great effort from one facet of the ball and maybe not so much from a couple of other areas. We need to try and be as consistent across the board as a whole unit here going into the remainder of conference play. We're really excited about the opportunity. The great thing is we're 1-0 right now in conference play. We're playing for our lives here the rest of the way."
 
Game Notes
• Saturday's contest served as the sixth meeting between Canisius and Vermont. The Griffs now trail in the all-time series, 5-1, after Saturday's contest. The matchup was the first between the two programs at Virtue Field in Burlington.
• Vermont out-shot Canisius, 57-23, for the contest, highlighted by a combined 35-7 advantage in the first and third quarters.
• Canisius was 1-for-3 in man-up situations while Vermont was scoreless in its lone attempt with the extra attacker.
• Graduate midfielder John McCain finished with a career-high three caused turnovers and added three ground balls.
• Kelly tallied three or more points in a game for the eighth time this season with his three-point effort on Saturday.
• Vavonese established a career high in saves with his performance on Saturday, eclipsing his previous personal best of 17, set against Michigan on Feb. 22.
• Vavonese recorded double-digit saves in a game for the seventh time this season and the 12th time in his career with his 19-save effort on Saturday.
 
Up Next
Canisius returns to action April 2 with a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference contest against Manhattan. Opening faceoff between the Griffs and Jaspers is set for 11 a.m. at Gaelic Park in Riverdale, N.Y.
 
For all the latest updates on Canisius men's lacrosse, be sure to follow @GriffsMLax on Twitter and Instagram.
 
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