McCallum Completes Men's Lacrosse Stunning Comeback Over Molloy

ROCKVILLE CENTRE, NY – The Frostburg State Men's Lacrosse team battled back from a seven-goal deficit to take down ECC opponent Molloy on the road Saturday afternoon, winning by a final score of 12-11.

Frostburg won the opening faceoff, with junior Gregg Dort Jr. scooping up the ground ball and setting up the Bobcats offense. Senior Austin Sipes ripped back-to-back shots for FSU but was unable to find the back of the net. On their first look at offense, Molloy took three shots, all going either high or wide. After turnovers were swapped by both teams, the Lions got one to go at the 10:40 mark for a 1-0 lead. Both teams exchanged turnovers again, with Sipes being credited with a caused turnover, as MU found themselves with the ball, connecting on another goal for a 2-0 advantage. Just two minutes later, the Lions forced another turnover from Frostburg, setting their offense up again for a try at goal, knotting a 3-0 lead. Junior Nate Jones made his first save of the day on Molloy's next two tries at goal, as over the next two minutes Sipes, graduate Owen McCallum, and freshman Henry Sykes all had looks at goal but were unable to connect. Jones denied two more shots from MU, before the Lions tacked on one more goal to their lead to end the first quarter on top 4-0.

Dort Jr. picked up the opening face-off of the second, racing down the field to slice one into the back of the net for the Bobcats first goal of the day and a 4-1 game. Molloy responded right away in the same fashion, marching right down the field to go back up by four. Almost a minute later, the Lions succeeded again on offense, recording another goal for a 6-1 score. FSU struggled to see the ball on offense, as MU pounded three shots at goal, getting the third one by Jones to push ahead 7-1 in just the first three minutes of the quarter. Jones was credited with a save, as senior Tyler Dooley tried a shot at goal but missed wide down at the other end. Over the next two minutes, FSU saw four tries at goal, all being denied by Molloy's goalie, as MU put another one in the net at the 6:19 mark to hold an 8-1 advantage. Junior Alex Walstrum earned the next faceoff, as Dooley found Sipes to bring the game to 8-2 on the next play. Frostburg responded again, as Walstrum won the faceoff and picked up the ground ball to set up FSU's offense, as junior Seamus Kearney then found Walstrum to see the game at 8-3. Both teams traded shots over the next few minutes of the second, with Jones being credited with a trio of saves, as graduate Bubba Love dished the ball to Sipes with two seconds left in the half, cutting Frostburg's deficit to 8-4 at the break.

Love found Sipes once again to start the third, seeing the game at 8-5 two minutes into the quarter. Molloy saw the next three shots, as freshman Luke Roach tried a shot at goal, but was denied by the goalie. Over the next 10 minutes, both teams fired shots away, with Jones picking up two more saves, as Dooley and graduates Chase Buckwalter and Justin Hulse all saw opportunities at goal but were unable to connect. As the slow third quarter continued, MU put their first goal of the third on the board with 1:08 left in the quarter, allowing the game to read 9-5. On the next play, FSU took the faceoff, as Love got his first goal of the day in the back of the net for a 9-6 score. The Bobcats offense pushed for three more shots to end the quarter, as Molloy held the 9-6 advantage heading into the fourth and final quarter.

Jones denied a shot from the Lions to start the fourth, as Buckwalter assisted Love a minute and a half in to bring Frostburg within two at 9-7. The Lions went right back up by three on their next possession, as FSU kept on pushing, picking up the faceoff and allowing Dooley to find senior Brady Crumbacker to bring the Bobcats back within two. Just over a minute later, McCallum dished to Buckwalter for his first goal of the game, seeing the game at 10-9. Jones denied MU's next shot, before the Lions snuck one by to go up by two once again. Both teams traded turnovers the next few minutes, as just under the halfway mark, the Love-Sipes connection brought the score to 11-10. The Bobcats' defense went for two huge turnovers on the Lions, as with 4:10 left in regulation, McCallum found Roach for a goal, tying the game at 11 apiece. After a timeout from Molloy, Frostburg took their first lead of the game with Buckwalter feeding McCallum for a 12-11 FSU advantage with just under two minutes to play. Both teams traded one more turnover, as time winded out in the Bobcat's favor, with FSU coming out on top in the 12-11 comeback victory.

Sipes led Frostburg in scoring with four goals along with scooping up three ground balls, as Love led FSU in points with two goals and three assists. Six other Bobcats recorded a goal, while on defense Sipes and junior Drew Mullineaux were credited with two caused turnovers each. Jones finished with a total of 12 saves on the day.

The seven-goal comeback was the largest for the program in a victory since being resurrected in 2011. 

With the win, Frostburg improves to 6-2 on the season, while Molloy goes to 5-5. The Bobcats remain on the road, traveling to face Davis & Elkins on Wednesday, March 27 at 4 PM for their next matchup. For more information and updates, please visit frostburgsports.com.