Vikings Upended By Dolphins in Home Opener

Jose Rodriguez '24, Staff Writer | Media & Communications  

SALEM, Mass.- Jacob Cochran (Long Beach, NY) scored seven different times to lead Mount Saint Vincent to a 13-5 victory over Salem State on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Field in the home opener for the Vikings. The Dolphins start their season 1-0 while Salem State dropped to 2-1.  

Mustapha Daffeh (Bronx, NY.) led the Dolphins with 14 groundballs while Chai Dunlap (Woodbridge, NY) had three caused turnovers in addition to Cochran's  seven goals. For the Vikings, Timothy Eddings (Endicott, NY) recorded a hat trick, scoring three goals and contributed with five groundballs. Cameron Collins (Peabody, Mass.) had three caused turnovers. Goalie Mark Lulgjuraj (Yonkers, NY) saved 21 of 26 shots for the Dolphins, while Ryan Cohen (Bedford, Mass.) saved 15 of 28 shots.   

During the early minutes of the first period, the Dolphins drew first blood when Issac Parsons (Shallotte, NC) passed the ball to Rene Alamo (Bronx, NY), who fired a shot into the net to give Mount Saint Vincent a 1-0 lead at the 12:18 mark.

Despite being down by a goal, the Vikings were determined to tie the score as they relentlessly attacked the Dolphins' zone. Connor Vittands (Gloucester, Mass.) slammed in a shot at the 9:31 mark. Salem State was then able to notch their second goal of the game when Kyle Tammaro (Saugus, Mass.) scored on an assist from Vittands at the 5:28 mark.  

Cochran evened the game from about 15 feet out at the 3:09 mark of the first as both teams were deadlocked heading into the second period. 

The Dolphins took advantage of their faceoff dominance, scoring twice in a span of a minute and four seconds. Cochran notched his second goal of the game at the 8:24 mark, with Savion Williams (Peekskill, NY) credited with the assist. At the 7:20 mark, Parsons scored his second goal of the game, with Alfred Lamptey (Jersey City, NJ) credited for the assist.

Salem State was looking to get back in the game. However, Cochran scored his third goal to give the Dolphins a three-goal lead, with the score assisted by Dunlap. With 10 seconds left, Ethan Fajardo (Yonkers, NY) scored, with Daffeh credited with the assist. 

Faceoffs plagued the Vikings, as they had zero wins compared to the Dolphins' 10. Lulgjuraj saved 11 of 13 shots, while Cohen saved 11 of 17 shots. 

The Vikings had a man up and took advantage of the situation by cutting the Dolphins' lead in half. Eddings scored on an assist from Payton Cabral (Lancaster, Mass.) at 8:44. However, Cochren scored his fourth goal at the 7:00 minute mark, putting the game at 7-3. Eddings scored his second goal from about 18 feet from the net, to make the score 7-4 at the 5:36 mark. Later, Eddings picked up a hat-trick, scoring from about 18 feet from the net.

The Dolphins scored three times in a span of a minute and 37 seconds, as they built a 10-5 lead heading into the final 15 minutes of regulation. Cochran scored twice in a span of 43 seconds with the Dolphins a man up. As the game continued, Renee Alamo (Bronx, NY) scored on an assist from Lamptey at the 4:39 mark to increase the Mount Saint Vincent lead to 13-5. 

The Dolphins had 40 groundballs, while the Vikings had 20. Both teams were almost identical on caused turnovers, with Mount Saint Vincent at 22 and Salem State at 21. The Vikings were 1 for 1 on man-up, while the Dolphins were 2 for 3. The Dolphins dominated on faceoffs with 19 compared to the Vikings 2.  

Salem State will look to bounce back this upcoming Wednesday, March 6, when the Vikings will take on Mitchell at Alumni Field. Game time is at 4:00 pm.