Lacrosse player nets goal from 53 yards out

March 29 (UPI) — University of Albany lacrosse player Matt Perla scored a goal from 53 yards out in a 14-6 win against Harvard.

The No. 1 ranked Great Danes took on the No. 19 Crimson Wednesday at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium in Albany, N.Y. UAlbany had a 9-4 lead entering the final quarter.

In the final frame, the Great Danes got goals from five different scorers.

Perla’s shot came after a face-off win. He caught the ball at the 30-yard line before sprinting up seven yards. He then heaved a shot over the midfield line, toward the Crimson’s net.

His shot went over the head of a leaping Robert Shaw to increase the Great Danes’ lead. Perla’s score was the Great Danes’ fourth of the final frame. UAlbany got scores from Troy Ren and Kyle McClancy to close out the victory.

Perla is a 6-foot, 195-pound defender from Orchard Park, N.Y. The junior did not register a goal or an assist in his first two seasons for UAlbany.

“I honestly just heard Coach say, ‘Shoot it,’ so I shot it,” Perla told reporters after the game, according to the Daily Gazette. “It was a little bit lucky, but it went in … so, happy with that.”

The Great Danes are now 9-0 on the season, while Harvard is 7-2. UAlbany hosts Stony Brook at 4 p.m. on Saturday.