UAlbany men's lacrosse returns to win column, nixing NJIT

by: Tommy Valentine, UAlbany Athletics Communications

Posted: Apr 16, 2023 / 01:43 AM EDT

Updated: Apr 16, 2023 / 02:39 PM EDT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — The University at Albany men’s lacrosse bounced back from last weekend’s disappointing road loss to Bryant with a six-goal victory over visiting NJIT Saturday on Bob Ford Field. The Great Danes were fueled by a five-point performance from senior attack Jack Pucci.

Key Stats

Jack Pucci scored four goals and added one assist
Peter Salit scored one goal and recorded three assists
Eleven Great Danes scored at least one point
UAlbany outshot NJIT 51-31

Head Coach Scott Marr: “Today was a great day for lacrosse. Hosting the 4 The Future Foundation and the CityLax clinic beforehand, and having Lyle back on campus, and Jeremy and Hiana also is just great for lacrosse and great for this area. I was really proud of that. Our school did a great job, and Mark Benson and his staff really worked together with us on that and it was awesome. We’re 3-2 now. I didn’t think we played outstanding but we made things happen when we needed to, and that’s a good sign for us. But we definitely need to play a little bit cleaner, so we’ll work on that this week.”

How it Happened

The University at Albany men’s lacrosse program kicked off a four-game home stand Saturday with a visit from NJIT. The Highlanders are in the first season under new head coach Eric Wolf (’07), a UAlbany alumnus who both played for and coached under Great Danes head coach Scott Marr. Wolf’s assistant coach, Sean Eccles (’19), also played for Scott Marr at UAlbany.
Before Saturday’s game, the Thompson brothers, Lyle, Jeremy, and Jerome (Hiana), held a clinic on Fallon Field with their 4 The Future Foundation. Pregame, Jeremy read UAlbany’s Land Acknowledgment over the PA, and the trio were recognized on the field at halftime.
NJIT jumped out to an early lead, just 12 seconds into the game. UAlbany regrouped and tied the game at one when Peter Salit connected with Ben Wimmer with 11:15 on the clock, kicking off a three-goal run. The second goal, however, did not come until there were just 27 seconds left in the quarter, an unassisted effort from Salit, but the third followed just 23 seconds after when Salit found Parker Winkky.
NJIT scored back-to-back to start the second quarter to tie the game at three with 9:34 remaining before halftime. UAlbany closed the quarter scoring five-straight, part of a 6-0 run on either side of the break, to take an 8-3 lead.
Alex Pfeiffer’s goal to start the third quarter capped UAlbany’s 6-0 run and gave the Great Danes a 9-3 lead. NJIT found some offensive rhythm, breaking the Great Danes’ run scoring three of the next four goals, starting with back-to-back scores from Garrett Muscatella just 50 seconds apart.
Jack Pucci scored back-to-back to end the third and start the fourth, halting NJIT’s brief run. The Highlanders would add one final goal with 11:03 in the fourth, but UAlbany scored once more as well, with 8:56 remaining, to bring the final score to 13-7.
The Great Danes dominated the Highlanders in shots taken, 51-31, including 26-13 in the first half. UAlbany took 29 shots on goal, to just 16 from NJIT.

Next: UAlbany hosts Yale on April 21.