WASHINGTON, D.C. – Led by four goals apiece from Colin Burke and TJ Neubauer, the Fairfield University men's lacrosse team knocked off host Georgetown, 13-9, on Tuesday afternoon on Cooper Field in our nation's capital. Neubauer also dished out an assist to round out a five-point performance.
Fairfield (2-4) records its first-ever win over the Hoyas and its first road victory of the 2016 campaign. Georgetown (1-4) was unranked but receiving votes in both the USILA Coaches' Poll and Cascade/Maverik Media Poll this week and previously stood as high as No. 13 on the national ledgers. The Hoyas had most recently defeated CAA club Hofstra – then-unbeaten and ranked No. 8 in the USILA poll – by an 11-6 score.
In today's win, the Stags also notched their highest scoring total since topping Colgate by an identical 13-9 count last March on Conway Field at Rafferty Stadium.
With his five-point showing today, Neubauer eclipses the career 100-point plateau at 101. He also moves into eighth place at the Stags' all-time goals list with 89 – surpassing the 87 markers recorded by John Snellman '12 in his Fairfield career. Neubauer sits one goal behind his former teammate Sam Snow '13 for seventh all-time and is 11 tallies shy of becoming the fifth Stag to hit the century mark. On the 2016 season, Neubauer has scored 11 goals with two assists.
Burke's four goals set a new career standard for the freshman – also tying his personal-best in points – and move him into the team lead with 14 goals and 18 total points this spring. He has scored at least one goal and racked up at least two points in each of the first six contests of his collegiate career.
Neubauer and Burke were two of a season-high seven Stags to score goals as Liam DaRos, Charlie Horning, Jake Knostman, Joe Rodrigues and Charlie Schnider each added a marker. Rounding out the Stags' attack, Dave Fleming dished off two assists and Horning served up one.
On the other side of the field, Tyler Behring made 14 saves en route to earning the win in the cage. Andrew Eidenshink led the defense in front of the junior goalkeeper with two ground balls, and long-stick midfielder J.B. Smith collected three.
Will Fox helped control the action from the faceoff 'X' with a 14-for-23 mark. The reigning CAA Rookie of the Year went 14-for-20 in the final three quarters after the Hoyas won all six faceoffs against Fox and classmate Joe DeLasho in the first period to take a 3-2 edge in the contest.
The Stags scored the first goal of the contest for the first time since the season opener against Richmond on Feb. 15. Burke did the honors with an unassisted tally at 11:38 in the opening quarter, and Rodrigues added a goal at 8:55 to stake Fairfield to a 2-0 advantage.
However, the Stags would not score again in the first frame as the Hoyas ran off three goals to take a 3-2 lead after 15 minutes of play.
Schnider's goal just 37 seconds into the second quarter was the start of a dominant 30 minutes for Fairfield. The marker set the Stags off on an 8-2 run than spanned both the second and third quarters. When all was said and done, Fairfield had doubled-up Georgetown and carried a 10-5 lead into the final stanza of action.
Georgetown snapped the run with a goal at 14:42 in the fourth, but Neubauer answered with a scoop-and-score on a loose ball in front of the net to rebuild a five-goal cushion at 11-6. The Hoyas kept the game within reach with a three-goal run in the fourth quarter, but the Stags continued to win draws at the 'X' and worked the clock on their ensuing possessions.
Georgetown has shaved the margin to 11-9 with 3:46 to play, but Burke capped his four-goal day just over a minute later to extend the lead with 2:43 left. Neubauer followed suit, netting his fourth goal at the 1:29 mark of the fourth quarter to round out the score at its final count of 13-9 in favor of the Stags.
Peter Conley, a 2014 First Team All-Big East honoree who played only seven games last spring due to injury, led the Hoyas offense with two goals and two assists. In the cage, 2015 First Team All-Big East goalkeeper Nick Marrocco made seven saves.
The Stags are back in action on Conway Field at Rafferty Stadium this Saturday, March 12 to host No. 4 Yale. The 1 p.m. contest will air live on SportsNet New York (SNY) and over the Internet on ESPN3. The broadcast will be produced by the Fairfield University Media Center.
Yale, which hosts St. John's tonight at 7 p.m., is currently 3-0 on the season. The Bulldogs' signature win is an 8-5 victory over then-No. 4 Maryland to go along with 10-goal routs of UMass Lowell and Bryant.
