Noontime Sports

By Matt Noonan | @MattyNoonz11

It was an important non-conference win on Tuesday for the Springfield College men’s lacrosse team, which gained some important momentum heading into it’s New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) clash this Saturday against Babson College.

The Pride netted 18 goals – the second most tallies they have recorded in a single game this season – to defeat Western New England (our seventh-ranked team in this week’s Noontime Sports Top 10 Poll) for their fourth win of the season.

Cameron Glover netted a season-high five goals in the win, while Zachary Schuette registered a hat trick and two helpers. Additionally, the Pride received a trio of goals from Jack Vail while Patrick Watson added five points on four assists and one goal.

For Springfield, the next few weeks are critical especially after enduring a difficult start to its current season. The Pride struggled in a trio of early March contests but did score an important non-conference win against Endicott College. They concluded the month with a 21-5 win over Emerson College before earning its first win of the new month yesterday against the Golden Bears.

With just seven contests remaining, including one non-conference contest with Middlebury College, every game is important for a unit that has made 11 consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament.

As of early today, the Pride is one of four teams with 1-0 marks in NEWMAC play, but their game against Babson certainly won’t be easy as the Beavers will also enter the Saturday meeting with hopes of improving to 2-0 in league play.

Sticking with the NEWMAC, Coast Guard Academy remains the top team with a 7-2 overall record (and 1-0 league mark). The Bears scored a hard-fought 14-13 win last Saturday evening against Clark University.

Coast Guard hosts UMass Dartmouth this evening at 7 p.m. before they visit Wheaton College on Saturday for a 1 p.m. face-off in Norton, Massachusetts.

Switching gears to the women’s game, fans of D3 lacrosse should keep an eye on a tight race in the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) with Endicott College, Roger Williams, and University of New England locked in a three-way tie for first place.

The Gulls were my pick to win the conference this spring – I won’t change it, I promise! – but Endicott will certainly be challenged over the next few weeks when they take on their remaining conference foes, including Roger Williams and UNE. Both meetings will occur later this month. Wins over the Hawks and Nor’easters would help the Gulls secure the top seed for the conference tournament.

Becker College appears to be in the diver seat in the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) with a 5-1 mark. They have rebounded from their lone setback of the season last month with back-to-back wins against Anna Maria College and MCLA. They will face Mitchell College this afternoon with hopes of earning their sixth win, but also their initial conference victory.

Dean College appears to be the front-runner in the NECC, thanks to five wins, including a 19-5 league victory last month against Becker. The Bulldogs are led by Anthony Trasacco, who has recorded 45 points on 30 goals and 15 assists. The Cheshire, Connecticut native has a chance to match his point total from last spring when he recorded 64 points on 45 goals and 19 assists.

Dean has just four games remaining before the NECC Tournament commences – they should be the favorite in their league’s postseason.

Finally, keep an eye on Wentworth‘s Brooke Paradis, who currently ranks 10th in NCAA Division III in goals per game (5.40). The Pelham, New Hampshire native is enjoying another successful season after posting career-highs in goals (62), assists (22) and points (84) one year ago.

This season, Paradis has notched 54 markers in 10 contests, along with 13 assists for 67 points. She has converted 17 free-position goals while snatching 55 draw controls and scooping 29 ground balls.

This past weekend, Paradais she netted her 200th goal in a 21-6 win over Nichols College while also setting a new program record for goals in a single game with 11.

Paradis and the Leopards have won seven of 10 contests this season. They will host Endicott this Saturday – it will be the teams’ ‘Senior Day’ with opening draw set for 2 p.m. A win over the Gulls would be a huge momentum boost for the Leopards heading into the final few weeks of the regular season.