UNION, N.J. (2/25/12) – The Kean University men's lacrosse team scored five straight goals in the second half en-route to defeating visiting Castleton State College in the season opener for both schools on Saturday afternoon.
Sophomore attack Richard Cheifitz (pictured left) scored four goals and had two assists for the Cougars (1-0), who held a 48-24 advantage in shots. Castleton State goalkeeper Dave DeGhetto made 18 saves for the Spartans (0-1).
After the Spartans opened the scoring on an Alex Green goal midway through the first quarter, the Cougars took a 2-1 lead at the end of the quarter on goals by senior Nick Angrisani and freshman Dylan Conte.
Castleton State tied the game to open the second quarter on Green's second goal of the day, before the Cougars took a 4-2 lead, as Cheifitz and sophomore John Marcelli netted back-to-back goals at the 9:56 and 8:15 mark, respectively. The Spartans tied the game heading into halftime when Green netted a pair of unassisted goals, the second with just 35 seconds remaining in the half.
In the second half, the Spartans extended the run to four straight goals to take a 6-4 lead less than three minutes into the third quarter on goals by freshman attack Zach Davidson and Green. However, the Cougars responded with five goals spanning the third and fourth quarters to take a 9-6 lead with just under 10 minutes left in the game. Cheifitz scored twice and had an assist in the go-ahead run.
The Spartans pulled back to within a pair of goals in the final minutes, before Kean netted two of the final three goals to seal the season-opening victory.
Conte, Angrisani and Marcelli each finished with two goals, while sophomore Mike Sheehan had three assists. Angrisani led the Cougars with seven groundballs and sophomore Collin Harrity won 7-of-11 faceoffs and picked up six groundballs.
For Castleton State, Green finished with a game-high five goals, while Davidson finished with two goals.
The Cougars return to action on Wednesday, February 29, when Kean hosts Wesley College at 6 p.m.
