Spartans snap Mustangs' conference win streak
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Toolbox
By TOM HALEY STAFF WRITER - Published: March 29, 2009
CASTLETON — There's this green yardstick in Newton Centre, Mass., that all North Atlantic Conference men's lacrosse teams have had to measure themselves against. Saturday, the Castleton State Spartans sheared a few inches off the yardstick.
Mount Ida had won all 39 of its previous games in the five-plus-year history of the conference until the Spartans stunned them 14-11 behind six goals from Michael Martinez and another three by Derek Riley.
It looked like business as usual when Zach Jacobson and Matt Savage scored to put the Mustangs up 2-0, but this would be anything but a usual day.
The Mustangs had a 6-4 lead when Martinez scored the first of four straight Castleton goals, giving the Spartans an 8-6 lead. They kept the lead the rest of the way. Jake Rick, Ryan Bartlett and Riley scored those next three goals to put Castleton in charge.
"We had a great practice last night and we were really prepared and focused," Bartlett said.
"We were down a couple of goals right away but we kept our composure. We had some freshmen playing and they carried themselves very well.
"We knew they had some excellent attackmen and we tried to keep the ball away from them. Possession was a key.
"Michael Mamunes (the goalie) and the defense played very well and Jake Rick won a lot of ground balls. You need those things to win."
The Spartans had a nice cushion when Martinez scored off an assist from Kevin McCarthy to hike their lead to 12-7 with 4:37 left in the third quarter.
But the Mustangs have won all five NAC championships for a reason and Castleton coach David Wiezalis knew they had a run left in them.
And they did, whittling the lead to 12-11.
"We knew they were a fourth-quarter team and we were prepared for it," Wiezalis said. "The other night we did some group homework on what poise means. We did everything right and we kept our heads."
Things got tense for the large crowd when Brendan Hylan, Savage, Jacobson and then Savage again scored those four straight tallies for the Mustangs to shave the score to 12-11 with 8:26 remaining.
But McCarthy took away the momentum with his score with 4:44 left and then Martinez delivered a pad goal with just 22 ticks on the clock.
Savage led the Mustangs with five goals. Jacobson and Hyland added two each.
McCarthy had two for the Spartans to follow Martinez and Riley in the scoring parade. Randolph's Phil Barry had a single tally as did Rick and Bartlett.
Barry and McCarthy had three assists each, Rick had two and Brian Roche one.
Mamunes collected 19 saves, including some outstanding ones at critical times.
"It definitely crosses your mind," Mamunes said of the Mustangs 39-game conference winning streak. "We got a little nervous, but we tried to treat it like every other game."
There's plenty of lacrosse left to play and Maine Maritime (2-0 in the NAC entering the day) is also a contender, but a ramification of this win could be securing the home field for the NAC championship game on May 2. The Spartans and Mustangs have met in all five conference championship games, but because Mount Ida was the top seed, they have all been on the Mustangs' campus.
"Home field is huge," Mamunes said. "We had great fan support and I think it will be even better for the playoffs."
Mamunes praised new graduate assistant coach Brian Kingsbury for the new defensive scheme he has installed this season.
"The new defensive system has worked great and our defense is really coming together well," Mamunes said.
Mount Ida coach Andrew Fink has seen the Spartans take steps each year under Wiezalis, now in his fifth season.
"We aren't what we have been and Castleton has been getting better every year," Fink said. "There are no excuses."
Fink had special praise for Rick, Martinez, McCarthy and Mamunes.
Castleton's record goes to 2-0 in the NAC and 2-3 overall. The Mustangs are 2-1 and 3-5.
Ida hurt itself with penalties and had to play a man down through much of the game. One of Castleton's goals, in fact, was scored with a three-man advantage. The Mustangs were tagged with 17 penalties totaling 13:30 to nine penalties for 9:00 for the Spartans.
The Spartans have NAC games remaining with Green Mountain, Maine Maritime, Johnson, Thomas, St. Joseph's of Maine, Husson and Lyndon.
They hope to take care of business in those games and force the Mustangs to come to them when the title game is played on May 2.
But there's plenty of lacrosse remaining and lots of games to be won for both teams if they are to keep their annual date in the title clash.
But for at least one glorious day, the Spartans were able to revel in a conference victory over Mount Ida. It was a feeling neither they, nor anyone else, had ever been able to experience.
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