NAZARETH RALLIES TO EDGE CORTLAND, 7-6
Amidon scores game-winner, Mullin makes 20 saves
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ROCHESTER, N.Y. (March 28, 2007) -- Senior midfielder Chad Amidon (Onondaga HS/Syracuse, NY) scored the game-winning goal with 1:24 left in the fourth quarter and senior goalie Pat Mullin (pictured, Irondequoit HS/Rochester, NY) made 20 saves Wednesday as Nazareth rallied to defeat visiting Cortland in men's lacrosse, 7-6.

The Golden Flyers, ranked 11th nationally in Division III, improved to 6-1 with the non-conference win. Cortland, ranked 14th and the defending NCAA Division III champion, is 3-3.

Nazareth trailed for much of the game as Cortland dominated the time of possession and had a whopping 49-28 edge in shots. Nazareth, however, got a strong game from Mullin, who matched his career high with 20 saves, including seven in the fourth quarter. He also collected six ground balls.

Nazareth trailed 6-4 in the fourth quarter, then rallied for three goals in the last three minutes for the win. Freshman Erinn O'Hara (Salisbury School/Camillus, NY) scored on an extra-man pass from Amidon with 3:05 left. Then Ryan Hotaling (Onondaga HS/Syracuse, NY) tied the score at 6-6 just nine seconds later off an assist from junior midfielder Matt Aloi (Jamesville-DeWitt HS/DeWitt, NY).

Amidon won the ensuing face-off and had a shot carom off the goal post before eluding a defender and netting the game-winner for Nazareth unassisted with 1:24 to play. It was Nazareth's first lead of the game.

Cortland possessed the ball for the bulk of the first quarter and used a 21-2 shooting advantage to build a 4-1 lead. Adam Hyde (West Seneca East HS/West Seneca, NY), Brandon Misiaszek (New Hartford HS/New Hartford, NY), Joey Morgan (Putnam Valley HS/{Putnam Valley, NY) and Ryan Simensky (Locust Valley HS/Locust Valley, NY) scored for the Red Dragons in the first quarter, while Hotaling scored for Nazareth.

The Golden Flyers closed within 4-3 on second-period scores from Aaron Civalier (Penfield HS/Rochester, NY) and Conor O'Keefe (Stony Brook School/Setauket, NY). O'Keefe's second goal of the game (off an assist from Amidon) tied the score at 4-4 early in the third quarter, but Cortland regained the lead, 6-4, on goals by Kevin Kliszczewicz (Liverpool HS/Liverpool, NY) and Misiaszek.

After the go-ahead goal, Amidon won the ensuing face-off, but Nazareth turned the ball overt with less than a minute left. Mullin's 20th save of the game came on a shot by Cortland's Billy Fuchs (Sanford H. Calhoun HS/Merrick, NY) with :36 left. Cortland had one more chance in the closing seconds, but Misiaszek's shot hit the side of the goal and Mullin picked up the ground ball as time expired.

Nazareth is home again Saturday for its Empire 8 Conference opener against Elmira at 3 p.m.