POULTNEY, Vt. – Johnson State College continues its streak topping North Atlantic Conference (NAC) foe Green Mountain College 12-4 Saturday afternoon at Eagles Game Field. The Badgers are 2-8 on the year and 2-6 in the NAC while GMC stands 0-10 for the season and 0-6 in NAC play.
Bickings led the way offensively for JSC by potting three goals. The Badger duo of Eustis and Cross each notched two goals and an assist while Belen scored once and added two helpers for the visitors. Defensively, Brennan Blair caused four turnovers while Maxx Connolly (Rollinsford, N.H.) and Zach Shuttle (Georgia, Vt.) each caused three.
The Eagles spread their scoring between Kyle Walz (Big Pine, N.Y.), Nate Laymon (Ilion, N.Y.), Oliver Osnoss (Chilmark, Mass.) and Toliver DiMasi (Winooski, Vt.) as each netted one goal. Laymon added two assists and a game-high 15 ground balls on the day, while Osnoss picked up nine ground balls and caused four turnovers.
Both squads spent the first 10 minutes of the first quarter in the midfield attempting to generate scoring opportunities and it was not until Johnson's Alan Bickings (Waterville, Vt.) scored on the man-up advantage at the 9:07 mark that the game received its first goal. GMC answered right back less than a minute later on a solo effort by Laymon to tie the game at one before JSC's Joshua Gray (Mashpee, Mass.) gave the Badger's a 2-1 lead heading into the second quarter.
Johnson notched four goals in the second period offsetting the Eagles' one to take a 6-2 lead into half. Jake Eustis (Cumberland, Maine) tallied two goals in the quarter and Andrew Neddo (Barre, Vt.) and Bickings each had one. Scoring for the Eagles in the second was Osnoss during a man-up opportunity.
The third quarter saw less scoring with each team only recording one goal. Walz inched GMC to within three with 10:22 remaining in the frame, but Josh David (Johnson, Vt.) scored an unassisted marker to restore the four-goal lead at 7-3.
Johnson pulled away late in the fourth quarter thanks to two goals with the man advantage. Ryan Belen (Northvale, N.J.) and Matthew Malek (East Barre, Vt.) scored the two goals while up a man. Those two late goals were in addition to two goals from Taner Cross (East Montpelier, Vt.) and Bickings' third goal of the game. Sandwiched in between the five-goal outburst was a tally by GMC's DiMasi on a nice feed from Laymon.
Zach Jerome (Waterford, Conn.) picked up his second win of the season in net for the Badgers as he turned aside eight shots. Making 13 saves in the loss for the Eagles was Luke Carey (Brooklyn, N.Y.).
Green Mountain will head to Lyndon on Sunday for its next conference game at 1 p.m. while Johnson also plays tomorrow on the road facing non-conference SUNY Canton at 2 p.m.