Men's Lacrosse Makes History With OT Win Over No. 19 Bentley
Purple Knights earn first-ever triumph over nationally ranked opponent.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8 |
|
|
1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 9 |
Team Stats
No. 19 Bentley
| Game Statistics | No. 19 Bentley | Bridgeport |
|---|---|---|
| Shots | 30 | 32 |
| Ground Balls | 29 | 30 |
| Saves | 12 | 7 |
| Clears | 27-39 | 24-39 |
| Turnovers | 25 | 27 |
| Face Offs Won | 4 | 17 |
| Man Up | 0-2 | 1-3 |
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. - History was made at Knights Field on Wednesday night as the University of Bridgeport's men's lacrosse team stunned No. 19 Bentley in overtime, securing the program's first-ever win over a nationally ranked opponent. Improving to 3-4 on the season, the Purple Knights erased a three-goal deficit in the fourth quarter to cap a thrilling triumph in front of their home fans.
Trailing 6-2 at halftime and still down 8-5 with just 11:45 remaining, the Purple Knights mounted an impressive comeback fueled by a dominant defensive effort.
UB held Bentley to just two goals over the final 40 minutes and completely shut down the Falcons' offense during the decisive stretch run.
Bridgeport's offense caught fire late, closing regulation on a 3-0 run to force overtime.
Senior James Napoli delivered the clutch performance, scoring twice in the final 1:38—including the game-tying goal with just 43 seconds remaining—to send the home crowd into a frenzy.
In the extra session, the Purple Knights wasted no time completing the comeback.
After winning the opening face-off, UB quickly pushed the pace before Stephen Trama found the back of the net less than a minute into overtime, finishing off the dramatic victory.
Napoli led UB's offense with a hat trick, while Trama posted two goals and two assists. Matthew Levantini added a goal and two helpers, and Luciano Canino, Ryan Thomas and Connor Cullen also contributed tallies in the win.
At the face-off X, Cullen was once again sensational, winning 16 of his 18 draws as Bridgeport dominated possession, finishing 17-of-21 as a team.
Defensively, Luca Runyan piled up a game-high four caused turnovers while Matthew Hughes recorded seven stops for his third goalkeeping win this season.
UP NEXT
The Purple Knights will hop back into conference action on Saturday night with home game against Felician (6 p.m.).