JU Men: Dolphins Defeat Marquette in Home Opener
Jacksonville, Fla. – The Jacksonville Men’s Lacrosse team defeated Marquette Saturday afternoon, 14-10, at Rock Stadium.
Max Waldbaum’s hat trick sparked the Dolphins offense. Jacob Greiner, Jack Dolan and Tucker Garrity followed shortly behind with two goals apiece. In all, nine different players found the goal column in the victory. Luke Millican earned the win in goal, stopping four shots in the first half. Ryan Della Rocco came in relief in the second half, halting 10 shots between the pipes.
Luke Blanc, Devon Cowan and Bobby O’Grady all found the back of the net twice for the Golden Eagles in the contest. Michael Allieri took the decision in goal, stopping 10 shots in the defeat.
The two programs traded goals to begin the contest, as the score was knotted at four entering the second quarter. Garrity, Greiner, Jackson Intrieri and Waldbaum found the back of the net to kick start the Jacksonville offense early.
Marquette would score the opening goal of the second quarter, however the Dolphins responded with three-straight of their own. A late Marquette goal in the period would trim the JU lead, but Jacksonville would enter the halftime break holding a one-goal lead, 7-6.
Jacksonville swung the momentum in its favor coming out of the break, outscoring the Golden Eagles 6-2. The balanced attack was shown in the quarter, as all six goals came from six different Dolphins. Following another late period goal by Marquette, Jacksonville would enter the fourth with a five-goal lead, 13-8.
The fourth quarter was quiet offensively for JU, as the Golden Eagles scored two of the three goals in the frame. A late goal by Waldbaum would seal the victory for JU, as they would improve to 1-0 at home on the campaign.
Head Coach John Galloway‘s Comments
“Today was an important moment for our guys, as I felt it was the first real moment of adversity we have faced. Marquette really disrupted our offensive patterns, and we were forced to manufacture different ways to find the back of the net. I believe the resilience we showed after three games in six days will benefit us down the season. Now we have to lick our wounds and hit the reset button on another unique challenge in Denver next weekend.”
“I was really proud of our short stick defense today, led by Tucker Garrity and Zack Deaken. They created opportunities for our offense to make the run in the third quarter. I was also pleased with the goalie play. I believe Luke and Ryan both made huge saves throughout the game and handled themselves with maturity and poise. With those two and Jason in the wings, we have a bullpen at the goalie position.”
Game Notes
– With today’s win, the all-time series with the Golden Eagles is tied at 4.
– Waldbaum has found the back of the net at least three times in all four games.
– Della Rocco’s 10 save performance was the first 10+ save showing in his young career.
– Garrity’s two goals was a career-high for the redshirt-sophomore.
Up Next
The Dolphins hit the road once again, this time heading out west with a matchup at Denver. Opening faceoff on Saturday is set for 2 PM.
