WILKES-BARRE, Pa.- The Juniata men's lacrosse team opened the 2023 season in dramatic fashion as the Eagles scored a 9-8 overtime victory off Aiden Duran's third goal of the game.
Duran led the Eagles with three, while Jacob Wallman and Kolton Black each scored two goals in the win. Faceoff Heath Gamarel went 12-for-19 in the contest, and Reuben Stoll led the side with eight ground balls and two caused turnovers. Justin Toney saved 18 shots on 26 attempts for a 0.692 save percentage on the day.
The Eagles opened the contest by winning the opening faceoff, and firing two shots on goal but were unable to convert on their first possession. The Colonels responded with a goal on their first possession.
Moments later, Black drove to the right side and beat his marker, firing in the first goal of the season for Juniata. Wilkes kept the pressure on the next phase of play, missing wide with four shots in two minutes before breaking through with eight minutes in the first for a 2-1 lead. The Eagles wrapped up the first period with a Matt McClearly goal as he drove straight through the middle of the Wilkes defense, and Duran's goal ricocheted off the ground from 15 yards out. Juniata outshot Wilkes 12-10 in the first.
The Eagles carried a one-goal lead into the first break and returned able to maintain that gap with a pair of goals in the second period. A Colonels offside call within seconds of play resuming put Juniata a man up, and Duran executed with a shot past the goaltender from ten yards away. Wilkes got one back within four minutes before Vincent Bechler beat his defender and the goaltender with a short-range shot. Wilkes got one back before the break to give Juniata a 5-4 advantage with half an hour to play.
Wilkes was at their best in the third period as they regained the lead with two goals in a period where they generated 16 shots to Juniata's four while forcing ten Eagles turnovers.
Juniata thwarted three shots in the first three minutes of the fourth period and soon swung momentum back in their favor as Black's long-range shot found the net to level the score. Two minutes later, Bechler found Wallman, who stormed from behind the goal on the right side and fired past to retake the lead.
Wilkes followed with a goal within two minutes, and ninety seconds later, Wallman earned his second goal to Put Juniata back in charge 8-7. Wilkes was a man down with three minutes remaining when they caught Juniata off in transition, finding a player open past the last two defenders for a short-range goal. This ultimately sent the game into overtime.
It took the Eagles just 54 seconds to end the game, as Duran beat a couple of defenders from ten yards out on the right side to secure the first Juniata win of the season.
Juniata ended with 37 shots to Wilkes' 43, but their shot-on-goal percentage stood at .730 against a Wilkes .605.
The victory marks the first win for head coach James Stumpo with the program, while the second-year program now holds a winning record for the first time in its history.
