Newark, DE (March 19, 2005)- Despite a second straight late rally, the men's lacrosse team fell to #23 Delaware 9-8 this afternoon at Rullo Stadium. Senior Justin Otto had a game-high three goals, including his 100th career goal in a Manhattan uniform.
Manhattan (1-4) jumped out to a 3-1 lead after a man-up goal by Eugene Tanner two minutes into the second period but Delaware (5-3) responded with four straight goals to take a 5-3 lead into intermission.
Otto tallied his 100th career goal, his first of the day, with 8:52 remaining in the third quarter to cut the Blue Hens' lead to 6-4. Delaware answered with a goal just six seconds later to extend its lead to three again, and after a Jeremy Marrano goal, Delaware again found the back of the net and took an 8-5 lead to start the final quarter.
Otto scored on a man-up opportunity for his second goal of the day just 14 seconds into the fourth, cutting the lead to 8-6. After Delware extended its lead to 9-6 just under a minute later, junior Greg Lewis scored an unassisted goal to get the Jaspers within two with 10:55 remaining in the game. Sophomore Chris Oppito then found Otto again for his final tally, and his seventh of the season, which got the Jaspers to within a single goal with 7:42 remaining. However, the Jaspers were held at bay, and Delaware held on to the slim margin and captured the victory.
Otto finished with three goals and an assist, while Oppito had three assists for the Jaspers. Sophomore Justin Henry made 11 saves in net for Manhattan, including six stops during the second quarter.
Manhattan will return to action on Saturday, March 26, when it will host Siena in its MAAC opener at Gaelic Park. Game time is 1:00 p.m.