The Trent varsity men’s lacrosse team earned their first win of the season by downing the Queen’s Gaels 13-11 in Kingston on Sunday. With the win, the Excalibur improve to 1-3 in the Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association (CUFLA) East Division.

The Excalibur jumped out to an early lead and never trailed in the game. The Excalibur were lead by a three goal, two assist performance from Niall Caravello. Trent also received three goal performances from rookie Travis Szabolcs and Peterborough-native Mike Temple. The scoring was rounded out by single goals from Joe Bedlington, Josh Gilray and Joe Stanley.  Trent goalie Jon Hiltz also added a goal as ran the length of the field nearly undefended.

Hiltz also played strong in goal and was helped out by solid defensive efforts by Chuck Flynn, Addison Clermont, Joey McClement, Temple, and Luc Sullivan.

The Excalibur will look to make it two straight over the Gaels as they host Queen’s on October 1.  The game will begin at 7 pm and will be a part of the Head of the Trent festivities.  For a full schedule of the weekend’s varsity events visit www.trentvarsity.ca

The Trent Excalibur men’s lacrosse team fell to 0-3 early on in the Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association (CUFLA) season, as they fell to McGill 14-7 and Bishop’s 17-7 in two weekend road games.

In the loss to the McGill Redmen, the Excalibur started strong with three of the game’s first four goals.  But the shorthanded squad, playing with only 16 players, were not able to keep pace with the host Redmen.  For Trent, rookie Travis Szabolcs had three goals in the 14-7 loss, while Niall Caravello added three assists and Sean McGee had two goals.

Looking to rebound, the Excalibur took on a veteran Bishop’s Gaiters squad. Again under-manned, the Excalibur gave up the only four goals of the opening quarter and were not able to recover in falling 17-7.  The Trent rookie tandem of Josh Gilray and Szbolcs picked up three goals and a goal and two assists respectively, while Caravello added three more assists.

Caravello now leads the league in assists with 12 through three games and that total has him tied for third in CUFLA points. Szcabolcs and Gilray each have seven goals on the season, the third highest total in CUFLA.

The Excalibur will look to notch their first win of the season when they travel to Queen’s to take on the Gaels on September 25. The game will take place at Tindall Field on the Queen’s Campus at 11 am.

Excalibur Open Regular Season 0-1

 

In their regular season opener, the Trent Excalibur men’s lacrosse team lost a back-and-forth contest with the McGill Redmen.  The 11-10 final saw several ties and lead changes, but the visiting team sent the crowd of nearly 300 at Justin Chiu Stadium home disappointed.

 

McGill jumped out to an early three-goal lead in the first quarter, with all three markers coming in the game’s first seven minutes.  Trent finally replied when Josh Gilray scored his first of the game with two minutes left in the first.

 

Gilray’s goal seemed to spark the offence briefly as Trent reeled off two more markers over the next 11 minutes to pull even.  McGill responded late in the half to go into the break with a 5-3 lead.

 

Gilray added his third and fourth goals of the game in a busy third quarter which saw the Excalibur notch four goals as a team and head into the final frame with a 7-6 lead.  The fourth quarter was back and forth with the visiting Redmen seizing control. McGill scored five of the first six goals in the frame, including three in a span of two minutes and ten seconds midway through the quarter.

 

With their backs against the wall, the Excalibur showed determination.  With time winding down Peterborough native Cory Vitarelli and rookie Travis Szabolcs each scored to pull the score within one with 2 minutes to play.  The Excalibur continued to pressure, but their attempt to score the equalizer sailed over the crossbar as time expired.

 

Leading the way for Trent was Gilray with four goals. Second-year midfielder Niall Caravello had six assists while Vitarelli and Szabolcs had three goals each in the loss.  McGill’s Ross Burst led all scorers with eight points on three goals and five assists.

 

The Excalibur will play their next game in Montreal against McGill.  The game is set for September 17 and Trent will be looking to take a win on the Redmen’s home field.  Game time is 5 pm.

Excalibur overcome slow start to defeat Laurier

The Trent Varsity Men’s Lacrosse team overcame an early two-goal deficit and held on late as they downed the visiting Laurier Golden Hawks 9-8 in front of 900 fans at Justin Chiu Stadium on Thursday.

Laurier’s George Jimas had the only two goals of the opening quarter, but the Excalibur came alive in the second.  Joe Stanley scored the first Trent marker and Josh Gilray notched the equalizer.  The teams traded two goals each to send the contest into halftime knotted at four.

It was in the third quarter that the Excalibur pulled away, scoring four unanswered goals. Laurier responded with two markers early in the final quarter and two late in the game, but sandwiched in the middle was the eventual game-winner from rookie Travis Szabolcs.

Trent was lead by Szabolcs who had four goals in the game.  Josh Gilray also added three goals and one assist while Niall Caravello tallied five assists for the Excalibur.  Laurier was paced by four goals from George Jimas.

The Excalibur will be in action again on September 11.  The game against the McGill Redmen will open the 2011 regular season. Game time from Justin Chiu Stadium is 1 pm.

Trent's men's Lacrosse team is looking to improve on a disappointing 2010 season.

CHEX TV's Meaghan Roy caught up with the team as they prepare to open the 2011 campaign.

See the story HERE