Aslanian’s 7-point day leads Hobart over RMU

GENEVA, N.Y.— First-year Chris Aslanian produced a career-high seven points to lead the Hobart College lacrosse team to a 16-10 Northeast Conference win over Robert Morris University at Boswell Field this afternoon. He matched his career-high with a game-high five goals and matched his career-high with two assists.

Hobart outshot the Colonials 53-32, had a 17-12 advantage in faceoffs and a 31-28 edge in ground balls. The 16 goals are the most scored by the Statesmen since netting 18 in a win over Siena in 2013 and the 53 shots are the most since taking 55 against Siena in 2012. Hobart also handed out a season-high nine assists, the most for the program since logging 12 helpers at Wagner in 2014. Additionally, the Statesmen committed a season-low nine turnovers.

Junior attackman Frank Brown added three goals and an assist and junior midfielder Max Romm had
two goals and an assist. In all, 11 Statesmen recorded at least a point. Junior goalie Jackson Brown made 10 saves and grabbed a team-high four ground balls. Sophomore J Andrew Spallanzani won 12-of-20 faceoffs and first-year Matthew Pedicine won 5-of-9.

Senior midfielder James Rahe (3-0), senior attackman Luke Laszkiewicz (2-1) and junior midfielder Alexander Bohl (1-2) each recorded three points for Robert Morris. Senior midfielder Chris Barney had a game-high six ground balls. First-year goalie Alex Hager made 11 saves.

The Colonials (4-7, 2-2) scored back-to-back goals to take a 2-0 lead midway through the first quarter. Junior Mark Darden set up an extra-man goal by classmate Sean Donnelly with just under four minutes remaining to get Hobart on the board, but Bohl scored unassisted to restore the two-goal edge. Romm set up senior Gavin Llewellyn with a minute and a half to go to make it a 3-2 RMU lead heading into the second quarter.

The Colonials scored three of the first four goals of the second frame, including consecutive tallies by sophomore attackman Adrian Torok-Orban, to build a 6-3 lead with 7:10 left in the half.

Hobart's comeback started with three straight goals before halftime. Aslanian fired home back-to-back goals and then set up Romm's game-tying goal with 39 seconds left.

Frank Brown started the second half with goals 42 seconds apart to put the Statesmen in front 8-6. Robert Morris stopped Hobart's five-goal run on Rahe's goal at the 11:31 mark, but then Aslanian and Llewellyn scored in succession for a 10-7 Statesmen lead. Rahe again interrupted the Statesmen momentum, this time scoring a man-up goal at the 2:18 mark of the third. Pedicine won the ensuing faceoff and, 10 seconds later, senior Cooper Stefaniak scored off an Aslanian assist for an 11-8 Hobart lead at the end of three quarters.

The Statesmen kept the pressure on in the fourth quarter, maintaining at least a three-goal lead and outscoring the Colonials 5-2 to move into third place in the NEC standings.

Hobart will be back in action on Saturday, April 16, when its travels to Mount St. Mary's. Faceoff in Emmitsburg, Md., is scheduled for noon.