Box Score

Montclair, NJ (5/1/10) – Junior attack Robert Sinicola (North Caldwell, NJ / West Essex) is usually the one setting up goals for the Montclair State men’s lacrosse team. On Saturday, Sinicola turned into a scorer collecting five goals as No. 17 and top-seeded Montclair State captured its second straight Skyline Conference championship with a 12-8 victory over No. 2 seed Kean University at Sprague Field. Sinicola was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.

Tyler Meth (Basking Ridge, NJ / Ridge) and Pat Nann (Livingston, NJ / Livingston) each added two goals as the Red Hawks won their 14th straight game and more importantly the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Men’s Lacrosse Championship which gets underway on Wednesday, May 12. Selections for the NCAA Tournament will be announced on Sunday, May 9. Montclair also moved to 15-3 overall this season tying the school record for wins set during the 1989 campaign.

Nick Angrisani (Belle Mead, NJ / Montgomery), Scott Leatham (Fair Lawn, NJ / Fair Lawn) and Anthony Bertucci (Edison, NJ / Edison) had to goals apiece for Kean (12-6), which had a three-game winning streak snapped with the loss. The Cougars were looking to avenge a 7-6 loss to the Red Hawks back on April 17 while also looking to knock off MSU in the title game for the second time in three years. Kean posted an 8-7- win in 2008 before falling last year by a 7-6 margin.

The Red Hawks started off quickly scoring in the game’s first 11 seconds. Marc Guido (North Caldwell, NJ / West Essex) won the face off with the ground ball being scooped up by Sean Gilmore (Elmwood Park, NJ / Bergen Catholic). Gilmore then fed Sinicola right in front of the cage for a 1-0 lead. Montclair would add one more before the end of the first quarter as Nann scored off an assist from Ryan Kloss (Flemington, NJ / Hillsborough) helping the Red Hawks to a 2-0 lead after one period.

Leathem got Kean on the board 1:55 into the second quarter, however Taylor Bonner (Old Bridge, NJ / Old Bridge) scored on a man-advantage and then set up Sinicola’s second 15 seconds later as Montclair led 4-1 with 11:40 to go. Kean responded with two goals in 59 seconds as C.J. Gannon (Morris Plains, NJ /Seton Hall Prep)  and Bertucci scored cutting the lead to 4-3. Another man-up goal by MSU, this one by Matthew Prongay (Edison, NJ / Edison) with 517 left pushed the score to 5-3.

But Kean ran off the next three goals to take a 6-5 lead into the locker room. Justin Lappen (Tolland, CT / Tolland) got things started with a goal just outside of four minutes left and Bertucci’s second 21 seconds later tied the game at 5-5. Rob Child (Avon, NJ / Red Bank Regional) then forced a turnover in the closing seconds, picked up the loose ball and fed Leatham with seven seconds left as the Cougars took their one-goal lead.

Montclair would turn the momentum back in its favor in the third as it outscored Kean 5-0. Sinicola tied the game with 12:19 left and Kloss gave the Red Hawks the lead for good at 10:56 on the clock. Nann’s second from Prongay extended the lead to 8-6 and Sinicola’s fourth with 2:38 to play gave MSU a three-goal advantage. Meth finished off MSU’s momentum-changing period with 1:17 remaining as the Red Hawks were up 10-6 after three periods to play.

The teams alternated goals in the fourth for the final scoring margin.

Bonner and Prongay each finished with a goal and two assists along with six ground balls for MSU as the teams finished tied with 31 shots apiece. Guido won nine face offs and had three ground balls while defenseman Anthony Dzienkiewicz (Jackson, NJ / Jackson) had five ground balls and two caused turnovers. Goalkeeper Andrew Rosado (Elmwood Park, NJ / St. Joseph’s (Montvale)) made seven saves for the Red Hawks.

Jazimar Bailey (Hoboken, NJ / Indian Hills) had two assists for Kean with Andrew Rau (Fair Lawn, NJ / Fair Lawn) winning 14-of-21 faceoff attempts along with five ground balls. Child added four ground balls and four caused turnovers with Josh Jordan (Claifon, NJ / Voorhees) getting three ground balls. Junior goalkeeper Greg Egan (Gibbsboro, NJ / Eastern Regional) made six saves while Lane Zierten (Washington Township, NJ / Washington Township) stopping three in his 15 minutes of action .