Men’s Lacrosse Stages Comeback to Earn First-Ever Win Over Post

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BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – Playing at home for the first time this season, the University of Bridgeport's men's lacrosse team (2-3, 1-1 CACC) staged a thrilling comeback on Wednesday night, rallying from a four-goal deficit to defeat CACC rival Post, 12-8.

The Purple Knights jumped on the board early when Connor Cullen scored just 14 seconds into the opening quarter to give UB a quick 1-0 lead.

Post answered with a strong run, however, building a 6-2 advantage midway through the second quarter. Bridgeport stopped the momentum before halftime as Matthew Levantini finished a feed from Stephen Trama to make it 6-3 heading into the break.

The second half belonged to the Purple Knights.

UB exploded for five goals in the third quarter, erasing the deficit and electrifying the home crowd. Stephen Trama sparked the rally with two goals in the period, while Luciano Canino and Noah Beard added key tallies.

Late in the third, James Napoli buried an unassisted goal to tie the game 8-8 heading into the fourth.

With momentum firmly on their side, the Purple Knights dominated the final quarter. Bridgeport scored four unanswered goals to close out the game and secure the comeback victory. Napoli led the charge with four goals, including two in the final period to help seal the win.

Trama turned in a standout performance of his own, finishing with two goals and four assists for a game-high six points.

Levantini added two goals, while Ashton Lankowski, Beard, Canino, and Cullen each contributed a goal in the balanced offensive effort.

Bridgeport controlled possession throughout the night thanks to an excellent performance at the faceoff X by Cullen, who won 15-of-20 matchups while collecting a game-high eight ground balls.

Defensively, the Purple Knights locked down in the final quarter, holding Post scoreless while goalkeeper Matthew Hughes made eight saves to anchor the effort.

Liam O'Neill was also instrumental in UB's defensive efforts, finishing the contest with a team-high four caused turnovers.

Bridgeport finished the night with advantages in shots (35-29) and faceoffs (17-6), key factors in the Purple Knights' comeback victory and first-ever win over the Eagles.

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The Purple Knights will continue CACC play on Saturday with a trip to Georgian Court at noon.