BOSTON - Junior Brenden Kelly scored with 2:13 remaining in triple overtime to push the No. 20 Boston University men's lacrosse team to a thrilling 18-17 victory over Colgate in the Patriot League quarterfinals on Tuesday evening at Nickerson Field.

Neither team had a multi-goal lead in the final 39 minutes of regulation. Colgate held a 6-5 lead after a high-scoring first quarter and then took a 10-9 lead into the break. After scoring with nine seconds left in the third quarter to make it 14-14, BU never trailed the rest of the way, earning three one-goal leads in the fourth only to see the visitors tie it each time.

Junior Will Barnes was outstanding in goal down the stretch, stopping 10 of the last 13 shots he faced, including all four of Colgate's attempts on target in overtime and three saves on one possession during double OT.

Graduate student Louis Perfetto matched his career high with nine points on four goals and five assists, including a helper on the overtime winner, and also gathered a game-high seven ground balls. Kelly had a four-goal night and graduate student Vince D'Alto had a hat trick and an assist. 

Nine different Terriers found the back of the net, including graduate student Miles Lipton, who scored a career-high two goals and added an assist to finish with a career-best three points. Classmate Thomas Niedringhaus scored a clutch goal in the fourth quarter while sophomore Matt Freeman scored his first collegiate goal. Graduate student Jake Cates tallied one goal and one assist while senior Tommy Bourque and junior Jimmy O'Connell each found the back of the net. Senior James Corcoran, junior Zach Travaglini and graduate student Patrick Morrison recorded one assist apiece.

BU was excellent between the lines on Tuesday. Junior Matthew Fritz won a career-high 18 faceoffs on 27 attempts and finished with five ground balls while graduate student Conor Calderone went 7-for-12 at the X with two ground balls. BU held Colgate to a 23-for-32 performance in the clearing game, with the ninth and final failed clear leading to the game-winning possession. Graduate student Roy Meyer matched Perfetto's game high with seven ground balls and also matched sophomore Connor Kehm with three caused turnovers. Kehm tallied five ground balls in another strong effort while freshman defender Logan Styles had two ground balls and one caused turnover in his first collegiate start.

The Terriers will make their third straight appearance in the Patriot League semifinals on Friday (May 3) when they visit top-seeded and 11th-ranked Army West Point. Game time is set for 4 p.m., with the contest to be televised live on CBS Sports Network.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Perfetto scored just 13 seconds into the game. Colgate won the opening faceoff, but Meyer forced a turnover and Perfetto quickly scooped up the ground ball and scored.
• He then answered a Rory Connor goal with his second of the night off a feed from D'Alto to restore the lead.
• Colgate went on a 3-0 run to take a 4-2 lead with 8:12 left in the first frame before D'Alto beat the 10-man ride with a shot from just inside his own half off a great outlet pass by Morrison.
• Bourque tied the game at 3:46 but the Raiders responded immediately with two goals in 45 seconds to create a 6-4 score.
• An unassisted goal by Lipton cut the lead to one entering the second quarter and began a 4-0 run for BU.
• Freeman's first goal came in an unsettled situation as he collected a pass from Perfetto and stepped into a shot that beat Matt Lacombe (12 saves).
• D'Alto then scored two straight goals to give BU an 8-6 lead with 9:36 left in the half. 
• The Raiders tied the game at 4:33 before Kelly's first of the night made it 9-8.
• Colgate notched the final two goals of the first half, but Cates' 17th goal of the year just 1:16 into the third quarter once again evened the score.
• The teams continued to trade goals, with the Raiders taking a 12-11 lead at 7:01.
• Kelly and Perfetto scored less than a minute apart, however, to make it 13-12 with 5:24 left in the third.
• Two goals from Colgate gave the Raiders the lead once again, but Kelly struck with 9.1 seconds left in the quarter when he gathered a tough ground ball at the crease and beat Lacombe.
• With Lacombe serving a pushing foul, O'Connell scored on the EMO against the Raiders' backup netminder to make it 15-14 just 1:04 into the fourth frame.
• BU took the lead two more times, but Colgate responded each time.
• The Terriers had the final possession of regulation but Colgate got a stop to force overtime.
• In the first overtime, BU won the opening faceoff but turned it over.
• Kehm then picked off a pass during Colgate's first possession of OT, but D'Alto's shot in transition went wide.
• Barnes made a save on the next possession and then Meyer forced a Colgate player into the crease, negating a goal and sending the teams to a sixth period.
• The Terriers once again won the faceoff, but a great look from Perfetto hit the post and Colgate got the ground ball.
• Barnes then went to work, making three terrific stops on one possession to help BU win the ball back.
• In the third overtime, Fritz again won the faceoff thanks to a terrific ground ball by senior Dane DeGoler.
• LaCombe made a nice stop on Perfetto, but Cates caused a turnover on the ensuing ride and BU then called timeout to set up the winning possession.

GAME NOTES

• The Terriers improved to 2-0 in overtime during the Patriot League Tournament.
• They defeated Lehigh, 13-12, in overtime of the 2022 Patriot League semifinals en route to winning their first conference championship.
• Barnes became the fourth different BU netminder to win his first-ever postseason start, joining Christian Carson-Banister (2017), Joe McSorley (2018) and Matt Garber (2022).
• This was the second-longest game in program history; BU lost to Harvard, 12-11, with 1:45 left in triple overtime at Nickerson Field in 2019.
• The Terriers' last four games have all been decided by one goal.
• Perfetto has tallied 17 points (8g, 9a) in the last two games, both victories over Colgate.
• He will enter Friday's semifinal game at Army with a conference-best 86 points on 43 goals and 43 assists.
• Perfetto and D'Alto are the only two Patriot League players with 30+ goals and 30+ assists this season.

UP NEXT

• BU will face top-seeded and No. 11 Army West Point in the first of two Patriot League semifinals on Friday, May 3.
• Game time is set for 4 p.m.