EMMITSBURG, MD – Drew Kenney buried the game-winner in overtime to send the St. Bonaventure men's lacrosse team to a thrilling 9-8 triumph at Mount St. Mary's Tuesday afternoon.
Kenney's heroics came as the exclamation point on an entertaining back-and-forth battle on a snowy day in Maryland.
The Mount (1-2) started out strong, opening the game on a 4-0 run, and held the Bonnies off the board for over 11 minutes to begin the contest.
When the Bonnies offense got going, though, the visitors launched a run of their own to even up the score.
Conor Murphy took a pass from Aiden MacDonell and scored for the first tally of the day at the 3:51 mark of the first quarter and the 4-1 margin lasted until the second period.
Lad Harper enjoyed success all day at the faceoff dot and he won the opening faceoff of the second quarter, passing to MacDonell who ran down the field and rocketed a pole goal for a 4-2 score just 17 seconds into the period.
Less than a minute later, Patrick Shanahan delivered a wrap-around goal, and finally, Kellen Pulera tied things up with a score off a Shanahan assist for a 4-4 deadlock five minutes before intermission.
From there, neither team would find breathing room the rest of the day.
The Mount moved ahead, 5-4, ending the Bonnies run 3:57 before halftime, but again, the Bonnies won the ensuing faceoff and Shanahan stuck for another goal and a 5-5 tie that lasted to the break.
Bona (1-2) took advantage of a man-up opportunity to break the tie as Kenney assisted Murphy for the lone goal of the third quarter and a 6-5 lead.
The squads exchanged the next two goals, but the hosts scored back-to-back for an 8-7 lead with 3:53 to play.
Pulera worked the right side of the field for the tying score, taking a pass from Benny Carter at close range with 2:09 remaining.
In overtime, Harper won the first faceoff, setting up the offense for Kenney who fought through the defense on the left side of the field and fired his shot around a defender and over the shoulder of the goalie for the dramatic finish.
Shanahan scored three points in the win (2G-1A) while MacDonell, Kenney, Murphy and Jake Kucinski all posted two apiece.
Harper went 14-7 at the faceoff dot with 10 groundballs – he tied for third-most groundballs in a single game for Bonnies history and tied for fifth in faceoff wins.
Freshman Isaac Farmer made several impressive saves, finishing with nine stops and six groundballs in his first career win in the cage. Alex Polisoto also caused three turnovers on the defensive end while MacDonell and Cameron Viavada each created two.
The Bonnies led in shots, 40-34, and in groundballs, 48-35. Bona's groundball total is a new single-game program record, besting the 43 that had stood since 2022.
QUOTES FROM HEAD COACH RANDY MEARNS
"Today was an incredible effort, I am so proud of our boys and our staff. Lad Harper dominated faceoffs and winning groundballs, including the key faceoff in OT. Our transition game helped us change momentum after the first quarter with Aiden MacDonell going coast-to-coast. Our groundball work was relentless. PJ Shanahan had six of those. Guys were sticking their nose in and sacrificing their bodies for the team."
"We settled into our defensive systems and overall played a great game. Holding a team to eight goals is no easy task and is a testament to our rope unit and close defense. When we had breakdowns, Isaac was there to shut the door."
"Offensively, we had balanced scoring which was great to see. Captain Conor Murphy kept reminding everyone about composure in pressure situations and that certainly paid off in OT. The senior class has persevered through much over the past years and to see them rise to the occasion and enjoy success feels really good."
UP NEXT
The Bonnies return home to host Binghamton at 11 a.m. on Saturday at the Marra Athletics Complex.
 ------Â
For the latest news on St. Bonaventure athletics, stay connected on social media. Follow the Bonnies on X @GoBonnies and get men's lacrosse updates @BonniesMLAX. Keep up with the Bonnies on Facebook /GoBonnies and on Instagram @BonniesMLAX.
