*Courtesy GMC Sports Info
(Poultney, Vt.) - Eric Hansel (Annapolis, Md.) tallied his second goal of the game 54 seconds into the second overtime period, lifting the Green Mountain College men's lacrosse team to an improbable comeback victory over the Johnson State College Badgers Saturday afternoon in North Atlantic Conference (NAC) men's lacrosse action.
The Eagles finish their season 2-8 (1-6) while the Badgers fall to 1-7 (1-5) with their conference finale set for next Tuesday against Lyndon State.
Hansel took a feed from senior Matt Tarricone (Oneonta, N.Y.) and fired a shot through a crowd in front of the cage and managed to find the back of the net handing the Eagles their second victory of the season. The goal came in a man-up situation after Johnson State picked up their 12th penalty of the afternoon.
Mike Smith (Georgetown, Mass.) notched four markers on the afternoon including the game-tying goal with just 25 seconds remaining in regulation. Tarricone and Hansel each finished with two goals and a pair of assists while Ethan LaCuyer (Massena, N.Y.) added two for GMC. Ethan Whaley (Exeter, N.H.) stopped 13 shots to preserve the win.
Alex Petti (East Greenwich, R.I.) scored a game-high five goals for the Badgers and added one assist while Justin Nelson (Lakeville, Mass.) added three in the losing effort.
Johnson jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first quarter with Petti notching a pair. LaCuyer dragged the Eagles back into match at the 8:33 mark of the second with a pretty man-down goal followed by his second just over a minute later, trimming the visitors lead to 4-2. The Badgers, however, responded, adding two more before the interval to build a 6-2 advantage.
The Badgers seized momentum in the third with Petti and Nelson each finding the back of the net inside the first four minutes, pushing the lead to 8-2. Green Mountain battled on, pegging the lead back to 8-4 through Tarricone and Smith.
Smith added two-straight to open the fourth before Petti tallied the last goal of the day for JSC at the 8:56 mark, running the score to 9-6. Hansel and Tarricone trimmed the lead to one before Smith popped up with his fourth of the day, sending the game into overtime.
Neither side could find a goal in the first extra period, setting the stage for Hansel's dramatic game-winner.
Johnson St. held a slim 42-39 edge in shots while the two sides combined for 111 turnovers on the sloppy surface.