LANGHORNE, Pa. – The Cairn University men's lacrosse team won, 18-10, at home against Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) adversary Keystone College inside the Stillman Complex on Saturday afternoon (the contest did not count towards the conference standings). Before the game, the Highlanders honored their sole senior
Harrison Clark (Cape May, NJ / Lower Cape May Regional) for his contributions and leadership since the program's inception in 2021.
"Great team win all around." Remarked Head Coach
Stephen Hogan.
"We loved being able to honor our lone senior Harrison. Harrison is a hardworking player who has been a cornerstone of this program since the very beginning. He's a team guy and is always willing to do the hard work without always getting the credit."
Cairn (5-6, 2-1 CSAC) jetted out to a 7-1 lead over Keystone (0-11, 0-3 CSAC) at the end of the first frame, led by three goals a-piece by junior
Jonathan Balsamo (Long Island, NY / Eastport South Manor) and freshman
Cole Heffler (Eldersburg, MD / Central Maryland Christian). The Highlanders recorded the first five tallies of the second quarter, increasing the lead to 12-1, before the Giants scored the final three goals of the stanza and trailed 12-4 at intermission. Balsamo lit the lamp three straight times to start the third quarter, before Keystone responded with five of the next six goals to cut the Highlander lead to six (16-10) at the onset of the fourth quarter. Clark gave Cairn an insurance goal at the 10:33 mark of the fourth frame, essentially sealing the win for the Highlanders.
Cairn narrowly out shot Keystone, 55-52, and won the turnover battle (24-21). The Highlanders successfully cleared their own zone in 19 of their 23 opportunities. Balsamo led the scoring output with a new program record eight goals and tied the program record with nine points. Heffler added five goals and three assists, while junior
Charles Cotton (Newburgh, NY / Newburgh Free Academy) handed out a career-high five assists. Freshman
Nicholas Kennedy (Hudson Valley, NY / Goshen Central) commanded the defense with a team-high six caused turnovers and ten ground balls, and scored his first collegiate goal near the end of the first quarter. Sophomore
Nico Cione (Yardley, PA / Pennsbury) corralled a game-high 17 saves, earning his fifth win of the season.
"This was a good game for us to learn what is needed heading into playoffs next week." Added Hogan. "We're hungry, and we've done a lot of good things this season, but the job is not done and these guys are ready for anything."
The Highlanders finished the regular season with an overall record of 5-6 and were 2-1 in conference play, garnering the No. 2 seed in next week's CSAC Championship Tournament. Cairn will host the CSAC Semifinals inside the Stillman Complex on Wednesday, April 26 against No. 3 seed Bryn Athyn College at 7 p.m.
