Wheeling, WV, Mar. 20, 2010—Cardinal lacrosse opened up East Coast Conference play on Saturday at Wheeling Island Stadium against Dowling College (4-1, 1-1 ECC).
Wheeling Jesuit (0-4, 0-1 ECC) trailed the No. 7 NCAA Ranked, Golden Lions, by one goal (6-5) going into the final period. Dowling surged for three goals to begin the fourth quarter and tacked on two more for 11-6 victory. In the first period, Colin Jack opened up the scoring at 1:34 with a goal from Phil Mergner to give the Cardinals the early lead. Dowling scored two goals to close out the first period with a 2-1 lead.
Dowling struck first in the second period, but the Cardinals clawed their way back after Jeff Arneson scored in a man-up opportunity from Eric Jenkins. Dowling again rattled off three additional goals, and Wheeling answered with two of their own from John Dunbar and Jenkins going into the break down 6-4.
After halftime, the Cardinal defense shutout Dowling’s third period attack with help from freshman goalie, Jim LaPenna who had 12 saves in his first collegiate start. Jack cut into the Golden Lions lead as he found the back of the net with 9:22 remaining in the third frame. In the fourth quarter, the Dowling transition game proved to be too much for Jesuit as they put in five straight goals. Arneson added his second goal of the day with less than two minutes to play in regulation, making the final score 11-6.
The Cardinals will be on the road on Wednesday, March 24th as they battle East Coast Conference rival Lake Erie College. Face-off is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
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