PURCHASE, NY – Chris Nielsen and Zak Jones scored the game-tying and eventual game-winning goal forty seconds apart early in the fourth quarter as the Manhattanville College men's lacrosse team dropped a 7-6 non-conference game to the St. Joseph's (L.I.) Golden Eagles Monday night from GoValiants.com Field.

Manhattanville (5-3) utilized a 5-1 spurt over the second and third quarters, erasing a 3-1 deficit after the first quarter to grab a 6-5 lead after the third, but St. Joseph's (3-3) kept the Valiants offense, averaging three fourth quarter goals per game coming in, off the scoreboard in the final frame.

Graduate student Andrew Murray (Yonkers, N.Y./Archbishop Stepinac) was the only Valiant with multiple points, scoring twice, while the defensive trio of sophomore Conor Keough (East Longmeadow, Mass./Suffield), junior Sam Hahn (Briarcliff Manor, N.Y./Briarcliff), and senior Sam Carleton (Williston Park, N.Y./Herricks) recorded three ground balls and a caused turnover each, and sophomore goalie Jason Frezza (Lake Ronkonkoma, N.Y./Portledge) tied his career-high with 15 saves.  Jones and Casey Hickey finished with two goals and an assist each for the Golden Eagles while Declan Canevari won all 15 of the game's face-offs, finishing with a game-high 11 ground balls.

Hickey scored 25 seconds after the opening face-off, then later assisted on Brandon Riley's goal, putting the Golden Eagles up 2-0 at 8:13. Senior Tyler Bentrewicz (Hicksville, N.Y./Hicksville) got Manhattanville on the board at 4:52, but Matt Prokesch regained the Golden Eagles' two-goal lead with just 26 seconds left in the quarter.
Sophomore Will Duval (Granite Bay, Calif./Granite Bay) pulled the Valiants back within a goal at 14:15 of the second quarter, then Murray tied the game less than four minutes later with his first of the night. Jones answered with his first of the night just 49 seconds later, putting the Golden Eagles back up by one, but sophomore Gianni Ciffone (Briarcliff Manor, N.Y./Archbishop Stepinac) added the final score of the half for Manhattanville with his 21st goal of the season.

Sophomore T.J. Caccavo (Carlsbad, Calif./San Marcos) gave Manhattanville its first lead of the game off a well-placed bounce shot at 12:31 of the third quarter, his ninth goal of the season. After Hickey tied the game with his second of the night, Murray responded with his second of the night 90 seconds later, the final goal of the third.

Off a Manhattanville turnover, Nielsen equalized at 12:51 of the fourth quarter, and Jones scored on the first shot attempt off the ensuing faceoff. The Golden Eagles caused four turnovers over the final 12 minutes, holding the Valiants to just one shot on goal.

Manhattanville's homestand continues next Tuesday, April 3, at 7:00 p.m. with a non-conference game against the Kean Cougars.