University of Richmond men’s lacrosse set a season record for goals scored in a game on Monday at Robins Stadium against a team that Coach Dan Chemotti compared to last year’s Spiders.
With impressive offense and quick ball movement around the crease, The Spiders defeated New Jersey Institute of Technology 21-3, surpassing their season scoring record by one goal.
Coach Dan Chemotti said he could relate to the youth of NJIT, a first year program. The team’s 25-man roster, about half the size of Richmond’s, has 23 freshman.
Chemotti said the Spiders’ early lead allowed him to give younger players some well-deserved playing time.
“I was happy we were able to get the entire roster in,” Chemotti said, “and the guys that don’t normally see playing time continued the type of play that we had going on in the first half.”
Senior Nate Volpert and Sophomore Austin Cunningham were among the players that maintained this elevated level of play. The two added to the scoreboard during the second half with their first goals of the season.
Senior midfielder Mickey Hofmeister, who transferred from Virginia Military Institute, stood out on the turf. Hofmeister is ranked 25th for points scored in consecutive games among active NCAA players and led the Spiders in scoring with four goals on Monday afternoon.
Playing attack, captain Alex Hatem and junior Brad Burna weren’t far behind. The duo scored three goals each and, with the help of Hofmeister, the threesome worked together to dominate play around the net.
"Playing with Brad and Alex is a lot of fun. They both bring a lot to the table and I feel we work well together within our system," Hofmeister said.
Monday’s game built up confidence amongst players and coaches as the team prepares to play against seventh-ranked University of Virginia on Saturday. The game was a good opportunity to clean up a few things, according to Chemotti, but he admits the Hoos cannot be considered a rival until Richmond is able to win a game against the team.
“University of Virginia has been around a lot longer than NJIT so it’ll be a tough task,” Chemotti said.
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