The No. 11 men's lacrosse team proved resilient against Dartmouth, Vermont and Delaware this past week, earning decisive victories against all three. The Bears advanced to an overall record of 7-1, and 1-0 in the Ivy League.
In their Ivy League opener on March 21, the Bears toppled Dartmouth 14-8. Andrew Feinberg '11 led Brown with four goals, and quad-captain Kyle Hollingsworth '09 totaled seven points on two goals and five assists. In a non-conference game against Vermont three days later, Hollingsworth tallied a career-high five goals and Feinberg added three in a 16-8 victory. Thomas Muldoon '10 led Brown with four goals in Saturday's 13-5 win over Delaware, running Bruno's winning streak to six.
"We have been playing very strong as a team," Feinberg said. "In the past few games we have been well prepared to take on our opponents. Both the offense and defense have been executing our coaches' game strategies very well."
Brown 14, Dartmouth 8
On Saturday, March 21 the Bears took on Dartmouth in the first Ivy game of the season in Hanover, N.H. The Big Green struck first with 7:41 to go in the first quarter. But Feinberg responded eight seconds later, the first of four straight goals for Brown. Feinberg notched his second goal, and Nic Bell '09 and Hollingsworth each added one to conclude the first quarter with a 4-1 lead.
The Bears built a 6-2 lead midway through the second quarter, with goals by Muldoon and Feinberg. After Dartmouth notched a pair of goals, Muldoon fired his second. Dartmouth answered with a goal, trailing Brown 7-5, but goals by Bell and Reade Seligmann '09 thwarted Dartmouth's comeback for a 9-5 lead to close the half.
The Bears added to their lead in the third quarter, with Feinberg's fourth and Seligmann's second giving them a six-goal lead going into the final quarter.
Hollingsworth finished the game with two goals and five assists. Muldoon (two goals, three assists) and Feinberg (4g, 1a) each finished with five points. Bell and Seligmann finished the game with two goals each. Brady Williams '09 and quad-captain Jack Walsh '09 added a goal each.
Quad-captain Jordan Burke '09 anchored the defense with 10 saves and seven goals against.
Brown 16, Vermont 8
Brown next traveled to Burlington on Tuesday to face off against the University of Vermont. Hollingsworth scored a career-high five goals, coupled with Feinberg's three to lead the Bears to a 16-8 victory over the Catamounts - their fifth straight win.
Williams, Feinberg and Muldoon launched an exciting three-goal lead five minutes into the game. But Vermont cut the deficit to 5-4 at the end of the first quarter.
Brown's defense shut out Vermont in the second quarter and the offense tallied five goals for a 10-4 lead at the half. Hollingsworth scored two goals. Feinberg, Williams and Walsh each had one.
Brown dominated the second half, outscoring Vermont 6-4, to cushion their already substantial first-half lead. Goals by Hollingsworth and Bell gave the Bears a 12-6 lead after third quarter. In the fourth quarter, Hollingsworth, Feinberg and Jason Pohanka '10 each added a goal to the board. Charlie Kenney '10 finished Brown's scoring with a goal at 3:40 on the clock, in addition to his assist earlier in the game.
In goal, Burke had 12 saves and six goals against. Matt Chriss '11 stepped into the net with five saves and two goals against.
Brown 13, Delaware 5
The Bears came home after a week on the road to face the University of Delaware on Saturday. Brown earned its sixth straight win by easily out-scoring the Blue Hens, 13-5. Muldoon led Bruno with four goals, extending his scoring streak to 28 consecutive games.
"I think the greatest thing we have going for us is our chemistry," Muldoon said. "Everyone on the team works well together and really cares about each other. We have a lot of talent but we don't have to deal with egos. Everyone wants everyone else to succeed and our team plays really well together because of it."
The Bears were untouchable early into the first quarter when unanswered goals by defenseman Jake Hardy '10, Feinberg and Seligmann gave the Bears a 3-0 lead.
In the second quarter, Muldoon had his first of four off a feed from Williams. After a scoreless first quarter for Delaware, the Blue Hens posted their first goal of the game with 9:12 left in the half. Bell responded with a goal, but Delaware posted their second for a 5-2 score. Feinberg, Muldoon and Hollingsworth had three consecutive goals before Delaware scored to cut Brown's lead to 8-3.
Brown dominated the third quarter as Muldoon scored his third and fourth of the game, and Williams added another goal. After three quarters, the Bears led 11-3. Burke secured a scoreless third quarter with seven saves in goal.
Walsh and Jeff Foote '11 opened up the fourth quarter with the two final goals for the Bears, who coasted to a 13-5 victory.
Seligmann and Hollingsworth finished with three assists and a goal each, and Feinberg added two goals and an assist. On defense, Peter Fallon '11 limited Delaware's Curtis Dickson to one goal.
"We are starting to play really well as a team, with each piece coming along and improving as the season progresses," said defenseman Jake Westermann '10.
The Bears will face off against Division I newcomer Bryant for the first time ever on Tuesday night in North Smithfield, R.I.
