Dan Spinella

Matt Smalley

GENEVA, N.Y.—The Hobart lacrosse team won for the 700th time in its storied history, defeating St. John’s University 12-7 this afternoon on a rain-soaked Boswell Field. The Statesmen raised their all-time record to 700-403-20 (.632), joining Johns Hopkins and Syracuse universities as the only collegiate lacrosse program’s to reach that lofty milestone.

Hobart dominated St. John’s, outshooting the visitors 34-22, collecting more ground balls (48-28), and winning 19-of-22 faceoffs. Sophomore Dan Spinella (New Hartford/New Hartford, N.Y.) and first-year midfielder Matt Smalley (Avon Old Farms/Cumberland, R.I.) were largely responsible for the success in the latter category. Spinella won an incredible 19-of-20 faceoffs, including each of his first 14, while Smalley did an exceptional job on the wings, scooping up a game-high nine ground balls.

At the offensive end of things, sophomores Nick Currie (Corning East/Corning, N.Y.) and Daryl Veltman (Salisbury School/Georgetown, Ontario) and red-shirt first-year David O’Quinn (Robinson/Burke, Va.) each recorded four points for Hobart (6-6, 1-5 ECAC). Sophomore attackman Tom Michaelsen (Rutgers/Bethpage, N.Y.) paced the Red Storm (4-8, 0-6) with three goals.

Veltman gave the Statesmen the early lead, notching back-to-back goals in the first five minutes. St. John’s first-year midfielder Bobby Fitton (Oakton/Oak Hill, Va.) sandwiched a pair of markers around a Hobart tally to make it a 3-2 contest with just over six minutes remaining in the opening frame. Currie tagged the Red Storm for the first of his three goals on the day, faking a high shot and beating sophomore goalie Dave Saccente (Sachem/Lake George, N.Y.) low. Saccente finished with 12 saves.

The marker was the last of the first quarter, but kick-started a 4-0 Hobart run.

The Statesmen got third quarter goals from sophomore Sean Murphy (Bishop Timon-St. Jude/Buffalo, N.Y.), Veltman, and Currie to build a 7-2 lead with 29 seconds remaining in the half. St. John’s managed to trim its deficit by one before halftime, converting a Hobart turnover into Michaelsen’s first goal of the day 17 ticks before the break.

The Red Storm made things interesting in the third quarter. After the Statesmen netted the first goal of the session, SJU responded with three unanswered, including a pair of strikes by sophomore midfielder Justin O’Donnell (Island Trees/Levittown, N.Y.). The burst whittled Hobart’s lead down to 8-6 entering the final 15 minutes.

The teams traded goals in the first four minutes of the fourth, but Hobart secured win No. 700 with three straight goals in a span of just 86 seconds. Nursing a 9-7 lead, Currie made it a three-goal advantage at the 8:28 mark. First-year attackman Jeff Colburn (CNS/Liverpool, N.Y.) finished a feed from O’Quinn at 7:33, and 31 seconds after that, Colburn struck again, this time set up by Smalley.

The Statesmen defense, led by goalie Mike DeSantis (Mountain Lakes/Mountain Lakes, N.J.), made the five-goal cushion stand up, blanking St. John’s over the final 11 minutes. The senior finished with eight saves.

Hobart is back in action on April 29, when the Statesmen close out their ECAC slate against Loyola. The 16th-ranked Greyhounds will visit Boswell Field for a 1 p.m. faceoff.