MANCHESTER, N.H. – Behind four goals from senior transfer
Jake Davis (Franklin, Mass.) and the first career hat-trick from sophomore
Chris Claflin (Newton, Mass.), the nationally-ranked No. 6 Saint Anselm College men's lacrosse team picked up its first win of the season over Molloy University, 16-5, on Saturday afternoon from Grappone Stadium. 10 Hawks student-athletes scored at least one goal, while 14 tallied at least one point in the season-opening victory.
UP NEXT:
- Saint Anselm is back in action on Friday, March 1st, taking on Bentley University from Waltham, Mass. in non-conference play.
Score: No. 6 Saint Anselm 16, Molloy 5
Records: No. 6 Saint Anselm 1-0, Molloy 1-2
Location: Manchester, N.H. (Grappone Stadium)
Date: Saturday, February 24, 2024
Attendance: 129
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Saint Anselm wasted no time getting on the scoreboard in their season debut. Fifth-year Craig Yannone (Lynnfield, Mass.) won the opening faceoff and secured the game's first possession in the offensive end for the Hawks. The Larsen twins combined on the first goal of the year just 52 seconds in to give Saint Anselm a 1-0 lead. Senior Nick Larsen (Northborough, Mass.) found his brother, Noah Larsen (Northborough, Mass.), who spun to his left and fired into the lower left corner for his first of the season.
- Molloy provided an immediate answer with two goals of their own by Brian Green and Bryan Diliberto to take a 2-1 lead early in the first quarter.
- Towards the end of the opening period, sophomore Maverick Lyon (Albany, Ore.) ripped a left-handed shot into the upper right corner off a feed from sophomore Colin Mulvey (Reading, Mass.) to knot the score up at 2-2. Less than a minute later, Davis made a move and fed Claflin out in front, who went top shelf to give the Hawks the lead back, 3-2.
- Once again, the Lions responded quickly with Konrad Maciejny finding the back of the net to tie up the score as the first quarter ended, 3-3.
- The second quarter was dominated by Saint Anselm with the Hawks outscoring Molloy, 6-0, in the period. Noah Larsen set up Davis for his first of the game at the 13:40 mark as the Hawks took back the lead, 4-3.
- A few minutes later, the home team rattled off three goals in a 1:06 span to jump out in front by a four-goal advantage. Clafin, Davis, and fifth-year Jack Andrews (Cumberland, R.I.) each registered a goal for Saint Anselm during that stretch. Claflin and Davis both completed their hat tricks with one more goal apiece later in the half and the Hawks led, 9-3, at the break.
- It was more of the same in the third quarter with the Saint Anselm offense putting up four more goals and the defense keeping Molloy off the board for another 15 minute segment. Junior Will Andrews (Cumberland, R.I.), sophomore Brendan Crowley (Leicester, Mass.), Davis, and Noah Larsen all scored once in the third as the Hawks extended their lead to 10 goals.
- Molloy finally found the back of the net in the opening minutes of the fourth to stop a streak of 11 unanswered goals by Saint Anselm thanks to Michael McClain, but Mulvey set up freshman Jacob Caron (Pelham, N.H.) for his first collegiate goal 51 seconds later to help the Hawks keep their double-digit lead intact.
- Fifth-year Jack Robinson (Wilbraham, Mass.) also scored in the fourth quarter as did freshman Aidan Webb (Walpole, Mass.) for his first collegiate marker as Saint Anselm cruised to a 16-5 win on opening day.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Saint Anselm nearly doubled up Molloy in total shots, 52-28, while also holding a 31-16 advantage in shots on target.
- The Hawks dominated at the faceoff X, winning 17 of 24 (70.8%). Yannone won 13 of his 15 attempts, while sophomore Quinn Gannon (Scituate, Mass.) won five out of eight at the X.
- Saint Anselm led in the ground ball department as well, scooping up 28 compared to just 10 picked up by Molloy. The Hawks cleared all 15 of their attempts in the game, while Molloy failed three of their 16 clearances and turned the ball over 20 times.
- Davis led the way for Saint Anselm with his four-goal, five-point outing. Noah Larsen also registered a five-point game with two goals and three assists. Jack Andrews, Nick Larsen, and Mulvey all finished with multi-point games, while Caron and Webb notched their first collegiate goals for the Hawks.
- Green paced Molloy with a goal and two assists, while Diliberto finished with a goal and an assist for the Lions.
- Senior goaltender Anthony Kubik (Chicago, Ill.) made eight saves and allowed just four goals in his first win of the season. Fifth-year goaltender Will Davis (Franklin, Mass.) came on in relief during the fourth quarter and made three saves while allowing one goal. Christian Michaels made 15 saves in the loss for Molloy.
- This marked the 10th all-time meeting between these two programs. Saint Anselm is now 4-6 overall against Molloy.
STAY CONNECTED:
