Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 2/3/17
From Staff Report and Press Release
Furman senior captain Jon Vandenberg (Garnet Valley) made headlines this week when he decided to dedicate his final college season by wearing the No. 10 uniform that was to go to his close friend, Kip Taviano, before his life was cut short in a tragic accident.
So in Thursday’s NCAA men’s opener, Vandenberg collected an amazing 7 groundballs and 2 caused turnovers in a heartbreaking 13-12 loss to visiting Vermont in Greenville, S.C.
Furman senior captain Jonathan Vandenberg (right of the Kip Taviano jersey) is wearing No. 10 to honor his late friend
Braiden Davis scored 1:52 into the first overtime period and Vermont triumphed at Paladin Stadium.
Graham Dabbs led the Paladins in scoring with four points (3 goals, 1 assist), while William Holcomb added three goals of his own. Freshman Lou Yovino tallied three points (2 goals, 1 assist) in his first college game, while David Williamson tacked on two goals. Zach Scott and Scott Primeau each netted their first goals of the season, while Jonah Moore (2) and Stephen Wierzbicki (2) led the Paladins in assists. Hil Blaze was 15-28 on face-offs.
Before Furman’s inaugural season of lacrosse in 2014, lifelong friends Vandenberg and Taviano (The Haverford School) were set to be right next to each other on the roster, wearing numbers 9 and 10, respectively.
On the night of Vandenberg’s senior prom at Garnet Valley, the two talked a good deal about their future as Furman’s first lacrosse players. Four days later, Taviano died.
Prior to Furman’s first game, Taviano’s memory was honored and a framed No. 10 jersey that he would’ve worn was presented to his family. Each June since then, Furman players participate in a youth clinic – The Annual Kip Taviano 10ve Lacrosse Celebration at the Concord Township Municipal Center – that Taviano’s father helps lead. (The 4th annual event is scheduled for June 3).
While the No. 10 was “retired” on that opening game day with a thought that no one would wear it over the next four years, Meade said the team wanted to do something more to honor Taviano on what would’ve been his senior year. Vandenberg’s teammates voted for him to wear the special number this season.
Click here for the full article posted Thursday on Vandenberg wearing the No, 10 uniform.
Vermont’s win Thursday can be credited to a furious second-half comeback, as the Catamounts outscored the Paladins 6-3 in the game’s final two periods and overtime.
The Paladins grabbed the early lead, as Wierzbicki found Dabbs for the first collegiate goal of the D1 season. The Catamounts netted back-to-back goals, before Furman scored three goals in the last three minutes of the first period to take a 4-2 lead.
The second period was full of offense, as the Paladins got another goal from Dabbs, a man-up goal from Williamson and Yovino’s second goal of the day to push the lead to 7-2 with 13:06 to go until halftime. Vermont then used back-to-back goals by Rob Hudson to end the 6-0 Furman run, the got a goal from Cam Milligan to cut Furman’s lead to 7-5. The Paladins kept the Catamounts at bay, using back-to-back goals from Williamson and Holcomb to push the lead back to four at 9-5. Vermont then netted two goals in the half’s final 45 seconds to cut the Furman lead to 9-7 heading into halftime.
Vermont outscored the Paladins 2-1 in the third period to cut the lead to one at 10-9, before Furman got a goal from Zach Scott to push the lead back to 11-0 with under 10 minutes remaining in the fourth. Cam Milligan netted back-to-back goals for the Catamounts to tie the game at 11 with just under six minutes remaining. Both defenses held strong for the next five minutes, until William Holcomb broke the tie with his third goal of the day, giving the Paladins a 12-11 lead with 35 seconds to go. Vermont won the ensuing face-off and scored with 13 seconds remaining to tie the game at 12 and send it to overtime.
Cam Milligan and Ben French each netted four goals for the Catamounts, while Milligan tallied four assists to lead all scorers with eight points. Jon Kaplan totaled seven saves for the Catamounts and picked up his first win of the season.
Furman is back in action on Sunday, traveling to Columbus, Ohio, to take on Ohio State in a 12:00 p.m. matchup.