HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. – The Cairn University men's lacrosse team won, 6-4, on the road at non-conference adversary Centenary University (NJ) on Monday, recording their second-win in program history after scoring two unanswered goals in the fourth quarter to break a 4-4 tie.
 
Cairn (2-8, 1-4 CSAC) struck first after notching the first two tallies of the contest to take a 2-0 lead at the end of the first frame. Centenary (1-9, 0-6 Atlantic East) responded by scoring both goals in the second period as both teams went into intermission deadlocked at two a-piece. Both teams battled back-and-forth in the third frame, trading a pair of goals to make the score 4-4 heading into the final quarter. The Highlanders then made their move, first taking the lead at the 6:23 mark when freshman Ramon Juarez (Gaithersburg, MD / Bridgton Academy) scored a man-up goal to give Cairn a 5-4 lead. The Highlanders held that advantage until the final minute, when sophomore Jonathan Balsamo (Manorville, NY / Eastport South Manor) delivered an insurance goal with 28 seconds left to put the Cyclones away.

ICYMI:

The @CairnMensLax team scored the final two goals of the contest to break the tie and leave New Jersey with a big 6-4 win against conference foe Centenary (NJ) on Monday!#GoCairn #CairnMLAX #FAMILY pic.twitter.com/txgCD77JS2

— Cairn Highlanders (@CairnAthletics) April 26, 2022

Both teams matched each other in shots (32-32) and the Cyclones held a 39-31 advantage in the ground-ball battle. The contest came down to executing the penalty kill, as Cairn converted 50% (2-4) of their man-up opportunities while the Highlanders successful killed off seven of Centenary's nine man-up chances. Balsamo led the Highlander offensively with a game-high three goals, while Juarez tallied a goal and led Cairn with a team-high six ground balls. Sophomore Collin Chase (Zionsville, IN / Zionsville) led the defensive effort with a game-high five caused turnovers, while freshman net minder Nico Cione (Yardley, PA / Pennsbury) earned his second win of the season after corralling a game-high 13 saves in a complete game performance.
 
The Highlanders will be back in action on Wednesday, April 27 when they compete in their final regular season contest at home against Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) foe Keystone College inside the Stillman Complex on Senior Day at 4 p.m.