Statistics

BIDDEFORD, Maine – The University of New England men's lacrosse team withstood a five-goal fourth quarter run by Curry College to earn a 12-8 victory in its Commonwealth Coast Conference (CC) opener on Wednesday evening at Blue Bolt Field.
 
Eight different Nor'easters scored in the team's sixth-consecutive victory led by Colin Watt with three goals and an assist. Ryan Hazard and Andrew Lawrence each scored twice. Ben Gowell was masterful on face-offs, winning 22-of-24 with 18 ground balls and a goal.
 
After a 1-1 first quarter, UNE (7-3, 1-0 CCC) exploded with a five-goal second to take a 6-1 advantage at the half. Lawrence scored both his goals in the quarter while Shea Fogarty had a goal and assist. Fogarty and Finn McCoy found the back of the net just 10 seconds apart near the final minute of the half.
 
The Nor'easters continued to extend their lead in the third. Stephen Stackhouse scored his first of two on the day for the Colonels to start the half, but Chris Gottlieb and Jordan White had back-to-back markers to extend the advantage to 8-2 with 7:50 to play in the third. Just 11 seconds following a goal by Connor Bryant, Gowell won the ensuing face-off and took it the distance to give the Nor'easters a 9-3 lead after three. [Watch]
 
Curry (4-5., 1-1 CCC) mounted a comeback in the fourth quarter as Bryant scored twice to start the period. The Colonels continued to scored with goals by Mac Kline, Dom Cerone, and Stackhouse closing the gap to 9-8 with 8:08 to play, but the visitors would not score again.
 
Watt buried his third of the game to stop the run. He later found Hazard for a man-up goal with 3:55 to play. Hazard also added another goal late.
 
The Nor'easters outshot the Colonels 49-30 on the night and 24-17 on goal. UNE double up Curry on ground balls 50-25 and won 22-of-24 face offs as a team.
 
Defensively, Cole Ventimiglia, Eben Fagonde, Gottlieb, and Hazard each had two caused turnovers.
 
Alex Thoms had nine saves between the pipes for UNE. Austin Brown made 12 stops in the loss.
 
UNE returns to action at home on Saturday against Western New England at 1 p.m.