Freshman Tom Perini was one of four Leopards to grab a goal in the 2008 season finale vs. Bellarmine on Sunday afternoon.

April 20, 2008

EASTON, Pa. - Bellarmine outscored Lafayette 5-0 in the final 15 minutes to grab a 10-4 win in non-conference men's lacrosse action on Sunday afternoon at Rappolt Field. Four different Leopards grabbed a goal on the afternoon, while sophomore Vinny DePasquale made nine saves in goal for Lafayette.

An end-to-end first quarter saw a defensive struggle, as both teams kept each other's offenses in check for the majority of the opening stanza. Brett Djaha opened the scoring less than three minutes in with an unassisted goal to give Lafayette the early 1-0 advantag.

Bellarmine answered seven minutes later with an even strength goal of its own and the game was knotted at one.

Bellarmine opened the second quarter with the first three goals, two at even strength and one with a man-advantage in the first 10 minutes.

However, it was Lafayette that gained the momentum back heading into intermission. An unassisted tally from sophomore Matt Mersky at the 3:09 mark cut the deficit to 4-2.

A minute later, fellow sophomore Steve Serling found the back of the cage off an Andrew Horton assist and the Leopards had pulled within one (4-3) going into halftime.

The third quarter mimicked the first, with each team only tallying a goal apiece. Bellarmine scored with 8:19 remaining in the quarter on its second man-advantage goal of the afternoon.

The Leopards again responded four minutes later when freshman Tom Perini used a Serling assist to pull Lafayette back to 5-4 with 4:19 left in the quarter.

Bellarmine tallied five goals, all even-strength, in a very physical final 15 minutes of the contest to pull away for a 10-4 victory.

Sophomore Vinny DePasquale filled in nicely for injured goalkeeper Jeff Canfield, holding the Falcon offense at bay for the majority of the game and grabbing nine saves on the afternoon.

Bellarmine held slim advantages in both ground balls (29-24) and shots (29-26). It also claimed 13-of-18 face-offs. Lafayette committed 16 turnovers to the Falcons' 21 on the afternoon.

The two teams combined for 12 penalties, eight of which were taken by the Falcons.

NOTES: The game was preceded by a senior day ceremony to honor Lafayette's three members of the class of 2008. Senior defensivemen Dan Wernau and Peter VanderDrift, as well as attackman Andrew Horton were honored for their dedication to the program before the contest.

Djaha closed out the 2008 season by scoring a goal in the final seven games.