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John Carroll University Athletics

home of the Blue Streaks
Jon Gaglio file photo
Peter Wangechi
The Blue Streaks lost an overtime thriller in the Electric City. 
9
John Carroll JOHN CARROLL 11-5
10
Winner Scranton SCRANTON 14-7
John Carroll JOHN CARROLL
11-5
9
Final
10
Scranton SCRANTON
14-7
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 OT F
John Carroll JOHN CARROLL 3 2 2 2 0 9
Scranton SCRANTON 2 1 4 2 1 10

Game Recap: Men's Lacrosse | | Deuce Zak, Senior Staff Writer

Men's Lacrosse Loses Battle of Jesuit Schools in First Round of NCAA Tournament

SCRANTON, Pa. -- Finals week is in full swing, and so is playoff season for spring sports. The Ohio Athletic Conference Champion Men's Lacrosse team was rewarded with a spot in the NCAA Tournament with their eighth straight conference triumph, and made the five and a half hour trip to Scranton to take on the Royals in a tournament play-in game. 

The Royals and Blue Streaks set a great precedent, with the first Jesuit school matchup in the history of the program. The Jesuit battle was hard fought, but the Royals had the last laugh, taking the contest in overtime, 10-9, ending the Blue Streaks' season. 

John Carroll's campaign concludes with an 11-5 record and a valiant effort in the final game. 

It was an eventful first quarter in Pennsylvania. Scranton opened the scoring with a goal to take the early lead, but the Blue and Gold countered with three straight from Josh Lombardo, Colin Morrissey, and Billy Paladino to a commanding 3-1 lead. The Royals don't shy away from the offensive party, getting a goal back to bring the lead back to one. 

A physical tone was clearly set in the first quarter, with both teams fighting tooth and nail to prevent open opportunities. No more would be found on either side, leading to a 3-2 score after fifteen minutes. 

It was a slow second frame for both sides. Opportunities were hard to come by in the first 11 and a half minutes of the stanza, with some incredible play by Jon Gaglio around the net. 

Billy Paladino finally ended the scoring drought with his second goal of the day, once again pushing the lead to two. The Scranton offense had opportunities throughout the second quarter, but the John Carroll defense was stifling, much like it was during the OAC Tournament Championship game.

Sean Keane scored one late to push the gap to three, but with 12 seconds remaining in the half,the Royals counter with blinding speed, closing the gap back to two. Three goals in the final 4 minutes lead to a 5-3 halftime score in favor of the Blue Streaks.  

The third quarter saw a stark momentum swing in favor of the Royals. Scranton opened the scoring to cut the lead to one, testing the Blue Streak defense early and often. Freshman Braden Zarek scored on a man-up situation to push the lead back to two, but that cushion would not last very long. 

The Royals managed to gain some momentum from that point forward, getting three straight in the back of the net, taking their first lead since it was 1-0 early in the first quarter. 

Zarek had himself a third quarter in response, showing off his facilitation skills with an incredible touch pass to Colin Morrissey for his second goal of the game, once again equalizing the contest. Both teams continued to fight for opportunities, but the penultimate frame would end at 7-7. 

The fourth quarter started fast, with an incredible twisting shot from Sean Keane once again courtesy of Braden Zarek. The Royals were finding open shots but Gaglio continued to showcase his skills in net with several huge saves to keep the game at 8-7. The Royals fought back to a tie with another goal at 8-8, but Billy Paladino was having none of that, countering swiftly with another goal of his own, securing the hat trick on the biggest stage. The intrigue of this game continues with another equalizing goal for Scranton, once again leveling the playing field at nine. That goal would be the final of regulation, as the Blue Streaks and Royals both missed out on great opportunities in the final minutes. 

The golden goal overtime period was settled very quickly, and it unfortunately did not fall the way of the Blue Streaks. An open shot for the Royals quickly led to a game-winning tally, ending the contest at 10-9. 

Billy Paladino was the star of the match, scoring three goals for the Streaks, netting the first hat trick of what will be an illustrious career. Braden Zarek was the distributor, netting four points on three assists. Sean Keane and Colin Morrissey both ended with two goals, being the other offensive lynchpins. 

Jon Gaglio in his final contest had 14 saves, doing all he could to keep the Blue Streaks alive in his final game in the Blue & Gold. 

The Blue Streaks had an incredible season, battling back from plenty of early adversity, and proved many doubters wrong on their way to an eighth straight OAC title. Despite the tough finish, this season will be remembered as the continuation of a dynasty in University Heights, Ohio. 
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