Riorden Two Overtime Saves, Oakes Sudden Victory Goal Sends #6/6 UAlbany Men's Lacrosse to 14-13 Win in Thriller at #4/4 Yale
Box Score | Box Score (PDF)
Postgame Interviews: Scott Marr | Seth Oakes | Blaze Riorden
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – After Blaze Riorden saved two shots on defense to begin overtime, Seth Oakes buried the ground ball shot inside the right post from Connor Fields as the #6/6 UAlbany men's lacrosse team earned their first top-5 win since 2014, taking down #4/4 Yale on the road 14-13 for its seventh straight victory.
It is UAlbany's (10-2) first victory over a top-5 team since the Great Danes defeated #1 Loyola in the NCAA First Round on May 10, 2014. It is the team's first victory over an opponent ranked in the top-10 since defeating Yale in the Capital District on April 18, 2015. UAlbany will have a chance to go into the top-5 in the rankings for the first time since 2007.
It is also the first overtime victory for UAlbany since defeating Stony Brook 17-16 in the America East semifinals on Long Island on May 1, 2014 off Doug Eich's transition goal.
In what proved to be a back-and-forth battle between the top-10 teams, UAlbany won the faceoff to open overtime, after Yale (10-2) had scored with five seconds left in regulation, but the Bulldogs forced a turnover. Riorden stopped a pair of Yales shots as UAlbany cleared. Fields reversed quickly and found Oakes in the middle. Oakes fired long range and low for the score, giving UAlbany the sudden victory goal.
“After Blaze made a save, we got the ball, I had a screen shot, and I took it,” said Oakes. “We just kept shooting, and none of us got down on ourselves, we just kept playing.”
“This game was as advertised, we knew this was going to be a hard fought game, Yale is a very good team, and we are as well,” said UAlbany coach Scott Marr. “Great effort by both teams, but very proud of our effort, being able to bounce back in overtime and get the win. Cannot say enough about our senior leaders, who kept the guys rolling in this game.”
Oakes netted his fourth goal of the game in overtime, adding an assist for five points. Fields tied a season-high with eight points off three goals and five assists, having a hand in five of UAlbany's seven goals after halftime. Bennett Drake had two goals and an assist while John Glancy and Eli Lasda each had a goal and an assist. Zach Ornstein won 16-of-29 faceoffs and scooped 12 ground balls.
Riorden earned the victory in the net with 14 saves, including the crucial two in overtime, plus a pair of caused turnovers. James Burdette and AJ Kluck each caused a pair of turnovers on defense.
“We knew Yale had good shooters, and they did a good job at that, but overall, I can't stress enough how much our defense played well and gave up shots that I should save,” said Riorden. “It is all on the team defense today.”
The victory also gives UAlbany its fourth double digit win season in a row and eighth under Marr's tenure.
For Yale, Ben Reeves scored three goals and an assist while Michael Bonacci had two goals plus an assist. Phil Huffard had one save and seven goals allowed in the first half while Hoyt Crance got the loss with seven saves on 14 chances in the final 32:43 of the game, including all of overtime.
Riorden stopped a Jack Tigh shot towards the left post as UAlbany hurried the clear against Yale's 10-man ride. Adam Osika came in from near side and ran towards the cage, hitting the shot inside the left post on the run for a 1-0 lead. UAlbany earned another possession off a Riorden save in the corner, as after firing away, Oakes drew the double team and a flag, passed behind his back to an open Fields for the score on the goal on the doorstep. UAlbany won the faceoff on the win, and with the man-up penalty, Fields found Drake next to the circle for the high-to-low goal close range for an early 3-0 UAlbany lead 8:30 in.
Yale got three quick goals on the next possessions as Conor Mackie scored off a won faceoff and sprinting to the cage, brother Brendan Mackie hit a low shot inside the right corner then Reeves added another goal.
Before the end of the quarter, Kluck knocked the ball out of an attacker's stick as UAlbany cleared. With seconds left in the 1st, Justin Reh took the pass from Lasda, ran from behind the cage with the stick in one hand and threw the ball inside the right post as UAlbany led 4-3 after one.
Yale kept the quick attack going as Michael Bonacci scored on a catch and shoot 44 seconds into the 2nd to tie the game. UAlbany countered with a won faceoff, passing around from Glancy to Oakes for the heave and score for a 5-4 UAlbany advantage. A long Yale possession, including Riorden stopping a Reeves shot near the pipe, saw Jason Alessi pocket a ball in the upper left corner to tie the game again at 5-5.
UAlbany held off a Yale man-up chance, nearing scoring man-down as Oakes laser shot drew iron. On back and forth play, including UAlbany stopping a clear, as another UAlbany shot was blocked by a player inside the crease. After a long officials timeout, Yale cleared. Reeves added another goal on a shot from the waist to give Yale the lead.
In the final minute and change in the half, Drake helped UAlbany tie the game, swimming and dodging a defender for a close range shot and score. In the final possession, Fields drew a double team up top the middle, passing to an open Oakes for the hard shot and goal with six seconds in the half, putting UAlbany up 7-6 at the break.
Right into the third, Ornstein grabbed the faceoff in traffic and passed to Kyle McClancy while falling. McClancy passed off to Fields who grounded the shot between the goalie's feet for the score. The UAlbany defense forced a clear with a crowd near the sideline and drew a flag on a clear. After a wide Sean Eccles shot first chance, Drake fed Fields straight away and buried the shot for a 9-6 UAlbany lead minutes into the third.
The UAlbany defense forced four turnovers in the first five minutes of the half to keep Yale at bay early. Yale kept getting chances as Alessi scored in the middle on a long range shot, then Reeves added another with a defender in his face, turning around and scoring in the corner. Riorden stopped a similar Reeves shot later, and on the next chance, Fields passed to Lasda for the rip and score to put UAlbany back up 10-8 with just over seven minutes left in the 3rd.
John Maloney earned the next faceoff win, grabbing the ball while falling near two defenders. UAlbany made that possession count as Fields passed to an open Lasda for the 15-meter shot and score. Yale got a goal back from Keasey cutting to the cage inside a defender. Towards the end of the quarter, Yale passed around in a circle and saw Reeves free for the shot and score inside the left pipe. UAlbany led 11-10 after three quarters.
UAlbany's man-down defense came in early in the 4th and protected first possession as an Eric Scott bounce pass was stopped. But on the next possession with the same unit on the field, Jeff Cimbalista scored on a second chance to tie the game at 11-11.
UAlbany got the next faceoff as Drake passed to Kevin McNally. McNally swam through a double team and kept possession, scoring on the doorstep to put UAlbany ahead again. Next chance, Burdette knocked the ball out of the stick of a wide open Cimbalista to end a chance for Yale. UAlbany drew a long possession next, but an Oakes shot was knocked down by Crance.
Riorden intercepted another pass to stop a Yale chance. The other way with five minutes left, Glancy lasered a shot below the crossbar from long range to give UAlbany a big insurance goal up 13-11. Yale got the goal back next possession as Cimbalista came from around the cage and scored close range to make it 13-12 UAlbany with 3:47 left.
UAlbany got possession and held until under 30 seconds left, where a turnover gave the ball back to Yale. Yale cleared, as Keasey passed to Cimbalista for the score and score just under the crossbar with 5.2 seconds left. The game went into overtime.
Into overtime, UAlbany won the faceoff, but Ornstein was stripped of his stick; Yale picked up the ground ball and called timeout. Yale fired wide, then a second chance by Cimbalista at close range was saved high by Riorden. Yale forced the turnover on Riorden near the sideline and tried a quick shot from Keasey, with Riorden saving the shot again at the left post. Maloney led the clear, and as UAlbany passed around, Fields found Oakes for the straight away low shot and goal for the win.
UAlbany comes back home for its final non-conference home game of the year, hosting cross-town rival Siena on Tuesday, April 26th at 7 p.m. at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium.
