NORTHFIELD, Vt.—Fifth seeded Mount Ida College fell 11-7 to #4 Norwich University on Wednesday night in the first round of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's lacrosse tournament, ending their 2014 season and their streak of 10 straight appearances in their conference's championship game.
The Mustangs (9-8, 6-4 GNAC), were unable to find a win on the road this season, and they fell in Northfield for the second time this year and their third consecutive time dating back to last year's GNAC title game. Norwich has now won the last four meetings between the teams, evening the all-time record between the programs at four wins apiece.
The Mustangs were led by Mike Markevich (Westminster, Mass.), who scored twice, and ends the season with a team-high 27 goals.
Peter Hardy (Tyngsboro, Mass.) and Wyatt Sullivan (Arlington, Mass.) both finished with a goal and an assist, while Jon Berry (Chichester, N.H.), Sean Royce (S. Windsor, Conn.), and Zach Rosen (E. Greenwich, R.I.) added single goals for Mount Ida.
Senior Ian Mendoza (Mount Airy, Md.) scored five goals to lead Norwich, who used a 5-1 edge in the second quarter to grab the lead, as each other quarter in the game was even in scoring.
Mendoza netted two of his five goals in the second quarter, while Connor Roberts (St. Albans, Vt.), Ryan McCarthy (Medford, Mass.), and C.J. Dolan (East Sandwich, Mass.) also scored in the frame.
McCarthy finished the game with a goal and two assists, while Dolan had two tallies. Sophomores Mike Lavery (Penacook, N.H.)and Matt Flaherty (Portland, Maine) added single tallies, while junior Seth Fuller (Wheaton, Ill.) dished out four assists.
Mount Ida's Markevich and Norwich's Flaherty scored 1:51 apart in the first quarter, which ended 1-1, but Norwich then rattled off five straight second quarter goals before Sullivan scored on an assist by Hardy with 2:28 left in the frame.
The teams traded goals for the remainder of the game, with both teams scoring an even five tallies each in the second half.
Norwich goaltender Mark Paradiso (Westford, Mass.) totaled 13 saves in the win, while Mustangs' netminder Kyle Cordaro (Worcester, Mass.) recorded nine saves in the complete-game effort.
The Mustangs finished the game with a 36-34 shot advantage, but both teams finished with an even 20 shots-on-goal.
Mount Ida's Chad Coehlo (Salem, Mass.) and Cole Davis (Chester,N.H.) combined for nine face-off wins, while Kyle Fernitz (Northbrook, Ill.) caused a pair of turnovers and picked up four ground balls.
Senior Andrew Dustin (Canterbury, N.H.) scooped up a game-high seven ground balls for Norwich, while Andrew Bracy (Carthage, N.Y.) and Brett Sewing (Brattleboro, Vt.) combined to win eight face-offs.
The Cadets (8-9) will travel to No. 1 Emmanuel on Friday, April 25 for a 7:00 p.m. start time. The winner will advance to Sunday's championship game.