Skip To Main Content

Scoreboard

Clarkson University Athletics

8-MLAX

Men's Lacrosse

Top 10 Clarkson Highlights - #8 Clarkson Men's Lacrosse Reaches Postseason Thanks to Upset of RIT

The Top 10 Clarkson University Athletic Department Highlights of 2016-17 were carefully selected by the Clarkson Sports Information Staff. Top 10 Clarkson highlights will be posted on Mondays throughout the summer.

Lacking anyone else with which to practice, lacrosse players across the nation often find themselves playing catch against a brick or concrete wall. The ball bounces back with nearly identical velocity and an expected path.

The only difference between that equation and RIT's game against the Clarkson University Men's Lacrosse team was that senior goalkeeper Nick Strandholm served as the brick wall and the Tigers didn't get the ball back every time, as more often than not, Strandholm had locked up the shot in the webbing of his stick.



For more than five years, RIT was unbeaten in Liberty League play. That was until the Tigers found themselves up against Strandholm and the Golden Knights in late March, when Clarkson finally ended RIT's conference winning streak with a 9-6 victory. Even more impressively, the six goals that RIT scored were the fewest by the team since March 2009, a stretch of 159 games. That came in large part to the dominance of Strandholm and the Clarkson defense.

RIT peppered Strandholm to the tune 50 shots overall, with 27 on target between the pipes, but the senior from Happy Valley, OR denied 21 of them, including 16 in the second half as he allowed just two to get past him. It was a testament to Strandholm and the Clarkson defense which flustered the Tigers throughout the game. The victory turned out to be a key one for the Golden Knights as the team squeaked into the Liberty League playoffs as the fourth seed. And though the Green and Gold wasn't able to repeat the performance against the Tigers in the Liberty League playoffs, though Strandholm did have 19 saves in the second meeting, it proved to be the highlight of their 2017 season.

The Golden Knights' returning to the conference tournament was their second trip in three seasons and the 11th appearance in 15 years since the league went to its current postseason format. Numerous seniors stood out besides Strandholm. Classmates Ryan St. Croix and Justin Gibson each earned Liberty League First-Team All-Star status, with St. Croix also picking up All-American Honorable Mention honors once again. Ryan DaRin was one of the top goal scorers in the conference and racked up 56 points to join St. Croix in Clarkson's 100-point club. Kyle Brown chipped in 33 points and Scott Dosser added 165 points, while Marc Simmons ranked third on the team in groundballs. More importantly, the future remains bright for the Knights as midfielder Ryan Gabriel was chosen as the Liberty League Rookie of the Year and classmate Conor Bartlett may well be on his way to becoming another member of the 100-point club thanks to a standout rookie season in which he scored 37 points.



 
Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Kyle Brown

#37 Kyle Brown

M
6' 1"
Senior
Ryan DaRin

#17 Ryan DaRin

A
5' 10"
Senior
Scott Dosser

#5 Scott Dosser

M
5' 9"
Senior
Justin Gibson

#44 Justin Gibson

D
6' 4"
Senior
Marc Simmons

#16 Marc Simmons

M
6' 2"
Senior
Ryan St. Croix

#7 Ryan St. Croix

M
6' 3"
Senior
Nick Strandholm

#4 Nick Strandholm

GK
6' 0"
Senior
Conor Bartlett

#2 Conor Bartlett

M
5' 7"
Freshman
Ryan Gabriel

#21 Ryan Gabriel

M
5' 9"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Kyle Brown

#37 Kyle Brown

6' 1"
Senior
M
Ryan DaRin

#17 Ryan DaRin

5' 10"
Senior
A
Scott Dosser

#5 Scott Dosser

5' 9"
Senior
M
Justin Gibson

#44 Justin Gibson

6' 4"
Senior
D
Marc Simmons

#16 Marc Simmons

6' 2"
Senior
M
Ryan St. Croix

#7 Ryan St. Croix

6' 3"
Senior
M
Nick Strandholm

#4 Nick Strandholm

6' 0"
Senior
GK
Conor Bartlett

#2 Conor Bartlett

5' 7"
Freshman
M
Ryan Gabriel

#21 Ryan Gabriel

5' 9"
Freshman
M