ALFRED, NY- The Alfred University men's lacrosse team scored five goals in the fourth quarter, but could not complete the comeback, as #12 St. John Fisher College won by a 18-13 score on Wednesday from Yunevich Stadium. The Saxons (5-2, 2-2 Empire 8) finished 1-for-3 in extra man opportunities and forced the Cardinals (9-3, 3-0 Empire 8) to 17 turnovers.  

Alfred was led by sophomore midfielder Dawson Felenchak (Horseheads, NY/Horseheads), who finished with a team-high three goals on five shots. Sophomore attack Paul Forte (Rochester, NY/Greece Arcadia) recorded two goals to go with three assists. Sophomore attack Drew Cartwright (Elmira, NY/Elmira) and junior attack Noah Soriano (Valley Cottage, NY/Nyack) each totaled two goals. Junior attack Connor DiDomineck (Bath, NY/Haverling), first-year midfielder Josh Hauman (Webster, NY/Webster Schroeder), graduate midfielder Jake McNaney (Corning, NY/Corning-Painted Post), and junior attack Adrian Romero (Rochester, NY/Greece Arcadia) all found the back of the net for the Saxons.

Goalies Scott Kimiecik (Randolph, NJ/Randolph) and Eddie Rowley (Brockport, NY/Brockport) combined for 11 saves and limited the Cardinals to one goal in the final quarter.

"We told our guys to play their hardest through all four quarters," Head Coach Jason Lockner said. "They played with a lot of effort and never gave up. I'm proud of the way they played today and they showed us what we're capable of moving forward."

St. John Fisher controlled the offensive pace early on, earning a 5-0 lead within the first eight minutes of action. Coming out of a timeout, an unassisted goal from Cartwright put the Saxons on the board. Cartwright, Felenchak, and McNaney each scored during a six-minute stretch for Alfred, cutting the deficit to 5-4. The Cardinals scored once more in the final seconds of the first quarter, as they led by a 6-4 score.

"Dawson had a great game today," Lockner said. "His effort was really important to the way we played, especially in the second half. I couldn't be happier with his performance."

The Cardinals found offensive rhythm in the early stages of the second quarter, scoring four consecutive goals. A pass from Forte to Cartwright resulted in an opening, as the Saxons managed to find the back of the net. St. John Fisher scored twice more before entering halftime with a 12-5 lead.

The Saxons gathered some momentum coming out of the break, as a pass from Soriano to DiDomineck eventually found its way to the back of the net. Romero capitalized on a man-up situation moments later for Alfred, as the disadvantage was cut to a 12-7 score. The Cardinals scored four more times before Felenchak recorded his third goal of the game. St. John Fisher scored again in the final minute of the third quarter, as the Saxons trailed by a 17-8 margin.

The fourth quarter showcased Alfred's ability to fight back, as goals from Soriano and Forte in the opening three minutes earned the Saxons some momentum. The Cardinals scored once more, but it was answered by a goal from Hauman just 50 seconds later. Forte and Soriano each recorded one more goal for the Saxons in the final quarter, but time ran out on hope for a potential comeback.

"We have been dealing with a lot of adversity this semester," Lockner said. "Our guys have remained resilient and are starting to put it all together at the right time. We have also been battling through some injuries and everyone is starting to to get healthy again. That is going to be a huge difference for us." 

The Saxons will next conclude their regular season on the road versus Keuka College on Saturday at 1pm from the Jephson Community Athletic Complex.