WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – May 4, 2024 – The South Division second seed Dean College men's lacrosse team was edged by the South Division top seed University of Saint Joseph, 13-12, in Saturday's Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship.
The Bulldogs end their season with a 13-5 record. Dean has recorded at least 10 wins in each of the last three seasons and set a program record this year for most wins since joining the NCAA. Saint Joseph improves to 16-3 and will play in the NCAA Tournament next week.
First-year
Manny Alvarez-Segee (Saugus, Mass.) led the Bulldogs with four goals. Junior
Owen Brine (Lebanon, N.H.) recorded a hat trick. Dean senior
Alec Speirs (Old Lyme, Conn.) finished with two goals and two assists. Senior
Diego Alvarez-Segee (Saugus, Mass.) and junior
Jason Richard (Holden, Mass.) each contributed a goal and an assist. Junior
Ryan Clunie (North Andover, Mass.) also found the scoring column, while junior
Jaden Wise (Belchertown, Mass.) had two assists.
Dean first-year
Elijah Beland (Augusta, Maine) collected 10 saves.
Beland, Speirs and senior
Kyle Ingram (Chicopee, Mass.) were named to the GNAC All-Tournament Team.
Dean trailed 4-2 midway through the first quarter but scored the final two goals of the frame to tie the score heading into the second.
The Bulldogs carried the momentum into the second by scoring twice for a 4-0 run and a 6-4 lead with less than 11 minutes to go in the half. The Blue Jays answered with a 3-0 run of their own to close the half with a 7-6 advantage.
In a game of runs, Dean began the third with two-straight tallies to retake the lead. The home team responded with a 4-1 run for an 11-9 margin at the end of 45 minutes.
Dean opened the scoring in the fourth to pull within one. Less than a minute later, USJ went back in front by a deuce. Manny then cut the deficit in half with his fourth of the game at 11:13. Three minutes later, USJ pushed the lead back to a pair with another man-up tally. Speirs kept Dean alive with a score at 3:43, 13-12. After an important defensive stand with less than two minutes to go, the Bulldogs had a couple of scoring chances down the stretch but could not convert.
Dean had goals in the first minute of each quarter. USJ converted on four of its five man-up opportunities in the contest.
