Providence, R.I. (April 19, 2006)-It was a critical game for positioning within the MAAC standings and both teams were playing like it, as Manhattan Men's Lacrosse found itself in a back-and-forth affair with Providence through 44 minutes. With his team clinging to a thin 5-4 lead late in the third quarter, Providence's Henry Pynchon stepped up and put some separation between the two clubs en route to an 8-4 Providence victory.
With only nine ticks left in the third quarter, Pynchon put one past Manhattan goalie
John Geagan to double the Friar lead heading into the final period. After the two squads remained scoreless for the first ten-plus minutes of the fourth quarter, Pynchon struck again with another unassisted goal, giving Providence a 7-4 advantage with 4:35 to play. Devin McBride sealed the victory by netting a goal with a little more than two minutes remaining.
Pynchon's first goal in the waning seconds of the third period came just minutes after Manhattan freshman Mark Labelle pulled his quad within one by burying a
Rob Sitar pass into the back of the net. The Labelle tally was actually the second by a Jasper freshman in the third quarter, as
Angelo Marrano opened the third period scoring by netting a goal exactly four minutes into the frame. Marrano's goal, his second of the day, cut the Providence lead to 4-3 at the time.
After Providence notched two first quarter scores to take a 2-0 lead into the second, Manhattan responded right back by recording the first two goals in the second frame, the first by Marrano less than one minute into the period and the second by senior
Greg Lewis less than five minutes later. Providence, however, tallied two more before the half to regain its two-goal advantage.
In all, Manhattan outshot Providence by a 25-22 margin. Out of the 16 shots fired on goal, Geagan turned aside eight of them in defeat, while Providence goalie Peter Littell made nine stops.
With the loss Manhattan falls to 3-7 overall and 1-4 in MAAC play. Providence improves to 5-5 on the year and 4-2 in MAAC games.
The Jaspers return to action on Saturday, April 22, as they travel up I-87 to Siena College.
