MANCHESTER, N.H. – The nationally-ranked Saint Anselm College men's lacrosse team soared past Franklin Pierce University by a final score of 20-9 on Tuesday evening to pick up their first Northeast-10 Conference (NE10) win of the season. The Hawks improved to 2-1 overall after handing the Ravens their first loss of the year. 16 different Saint Anselm student-athletes scored goals in the victory, including four who earned their first collegiate tallies.
UP NEXT:
- Saint Anselm is on the road to face No. 14 Mercyhurst University on Sunday, March 10. The non-conference game is scheduled for a 1:00 p.m. start time from Saxon Stadium in Erie, Pa.
Score: No. 11 Saint Anselm 20, Franklin Pierce 9
Records: No. 11 Saint Anselm 2-1 (1-0 NE10), Franklin Pierce 3-1 (0-1 NE10)
Location: Manchester, N.H. (Grappone Stadium)
Date: Tuesday, March 5, 2024
Attendance: 117
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Saint Anselm jumped out to a 2-0 lead thanks to a goal apiece by seniors Nick Larsen (Northborough, Mass.) and Jake Davis (Franklin, Mass.) in the opening two minutes of the first quarter.
- Ethan Cote put Franklin Pierce on the scoreboard with his first goal of the evening to make it a 2-1 game. Saint Anselm answered right back by scoring two quick goals from fifth-year Jack Andrews (Cumberland, R.I.) and sophomore Maverick Lyon (Albany, Ore.) to extend their advantage to 4-1 with 11 minutes still remaining in the period.
- At the 6:58 mark, senior goaltender Anthony Kubik (Chicago, Ill) posted his first save of the game to deny a shot attempt by Jackson Philion.
- The Hawks offense then went on a tear, scoring five goals in the final six minutes of the quarter. Davis scored twice more to secure his hat trick and freshman Mark Boyle (Reading, Mass.) registered his first collegiate goal to help Saint Anselm take a 9-2 lead at the end of the first.
- At the start of the second quarter, the Hawks fired the first four shots before senior Noah Larsen (Northborough, Mass.) netted his second goal of the game. Senior Chase Lilly (Trumbull, Conn.) joined in on the scoring at the 5:48 mark off an assist from Lyon to give the Hawks a nine-goal lead.
- Cote notched his third goal of the game for Franklin Pierce with about four minutes left in the first half, but sophomore Chris Claflin (Newton, Mass.) lasered a shot into the top corner of the net to make 12-3 Hawks heading into the break.
- Lyon started the third quarter by scoring his second goal of the evening to bring Saint Anselm's advantage into double-digits. Shortly after, Franklin Pierce's attack started to click midway through the quarter with the Ravens netting two goals in a two-minute span to make it 13-5.
- With less than three minutes left in the period, Cote tallied his fourth goal for Franklin Pierce, but junior Will Andrews (Cumberland, R.I.) scored an unassisted goal at the 1:10 mark to keep Saint Anselm ahead, 14-6.
- The Ravens strung together three early shots in the fourth quarter before Conor Rooney cut the Hawks lead in half to make it 14-7. Shortly after, the Hawks' offense retook control by scoring the next three goals in under two minutes. Sophomore Brendan Crowley (Leicester, Mass.) and junior Joe Lombardi (Holliston, Mass.) each scored while, freshman Evan Spillane (East Longmeadow, Mass) tallied his first collegiate goal to put the Hawks up, 17-7.
- In the final four minutes of the game, Saint Anselm cemented their first conference victory of the year by notching three more goals. Freshman Ryan Weller (Canton, Conn.) joined Boyle and Spillane with his first collegiate marker followed by late scores from freshman Jacob Caron (Pelham, N.H.) and sophomore Nicholas Palermo (Reading, Mass.) to seal the 20-9 win over Franklin Pierce.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Saint Anselm outshot Franklin Pierce, 43-31, and held a 28-17 edge in shots on goal in the conference tilt.
- The Hawks were favored in faceoffs during the contest, winning 24-of-32 attempts with fifth-year Craig Yannone (Lynnfield, Mass.) leading the team with nine wins at the X.
- Saint Anselm also won the ground ball battle by picking up 34 in comparison to Franklin Pierce who had 15. The Hawks also held a slight 7-6 advantage in caused turnovers.
- Kubik earned his second win of the season after making two saves in the first half of the game for the Hawks. Freshman goalie Finn Granara (Reading, Mass.) made his collegiate debut for Saint Anselm, checking in at the start of the third quarter and recording one save. Fifth-year goalie Will Davis (Franklin, Mass.) finished the game with five stops in the fourth quarter.
- A total of 16 different Hawks scored in the game, featuring a team-high three from Davis, his second hat trick this season. Lyon and Larsen each netted a pair of goals. Boyle, Palermo, Spillane, and Weller all scored their first collegiate goals for the Hawks in the game.
- Yannone recorded a team-high eight ground balls followed by sophomore Quinn Gannon (Scituate, Mass.) with six ground balls in the game.
- This marked the 27th all-time meeting between these two programs with Saint Anselm now leading the all-time series against Franklin Pierce, 23-4.
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