Tristan Durgin

Eight score as No. 20 Endicott tops UNE to open CCC play


Box Score

BEVERLY, Mass. -- Leading by two (3-1) after the first quarter, No. 20 Endicott College scored five times in the second to build a six-goal cushion by intermission, on its way to a 15-6 Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) men's lacrosse victory over the University of New England in the mutual league opener Monday evening (Mar. 19) at Endicott Stadium.

The Gulls -- ranked the entire season thus far in the USILA Top 20 Poll -- improve to 2-3 with the win, while the Nor'easters drop their third straight contest to fall back to 4-3.

Connor Prescott tallied four goals to pace Endicott, and Connor McCormack added three. Both Brendan Eppley and Kyle Weber chipped in with two.

The hosts finished with a 50-16 advantage in shots.

For UNE, brothers Dylan Thomas (Mount Pleasant, N.Y.) and Tyler Thomas -- a senior and junior, respectively -- recorded three goals and one assist apiece. The efforts were each good enough to raise their career point totals into the top three in the all-time ranks (Dylan-138, Tyler-137), behind only the program's career leader, Sean Melnick '02, who sits with 145 points.

Senior Mike Pennacchio (Peabody, Mass.) tallied three assists for Big Blue, and classmate Nate Porter (Cohasset, Mass.) made 16 saves in defending the cage. The Nor'easters next take to the field on Thursday (5 p.m.) for the third of eight consecutive road matches against Manhattanville College.

Goalie Tom Burke made four stops in 51-plus minutes of action for Endicott, which hosts Gordon College in a CCC date on Wednesday (7 p.m.).