SPRINGFIELD BESTS REGIS IN BATTLE OF PRIDES

SPRINGFIELD BESTS REGIS IN BATTLE OF PRIDES

WESTON, Mass. – Springfield College defeated Regis College by a score of 26-3 on Wednesday night in men's lacrosse action in each team's respective Pilgrim League opener. Regis drops to 3-6 on the year and 0-1 in the Pilgrim League, while Springfield improves to 3-6 and moves to 1-0 in league games.

Springfield's Ryan Murphy (Mansfield, Mass.) got the scoring started for the Pride as he took a quick pass from Brendan Boss (West Springfield, Mass.) on the goal line and buried a bounce shot for an early 1-0 lead. Kevin Freeman (Minisink, N.Y.) put Springfield on top 2-0 after Ryon Lynch (Frederick, Md.) found Freeman from behind the net for a quick score. Tony LaGuerre (Shrub Oak, N.Y.) and Lynch scored 13 seconds apart at the 7:52 and 7:39 mark of the opening period, before the Pride closed out the opening quarter with a 10-0 lead.

Lynch and Murphy scored the first two goals of the second quarter to stake Springfield to a 12-0 advantage before the Pride entered the scoring column. Billy Stewart (West Roxbury, Mass.) found Peter Leighton (Wilmington, Mass.) with a pass on the goal line, and Leighton juked his defender and buried a low shot to make it a 12-1 game.

Following a Jon Santer (East Longmeadow, Mass.) tally for Springfield, Regis' Nicky Rodrigo (Miami, Fla.) took possession for the Pride following a timeout. Rodrigo carried the ball to his right and found Chris Campbell (South Hadley, Mass.) one-on-one with the Springfield keeper, a matchup Campbell won for the second Regis goal of the day. Kevin Dean (Westhampton, N.Y.) answered three minutes later on a pass from Kevin Ostrom (Cape Cod, Mass.) that gave Springfield a 15-2 lead headed into the half.

Springfield tacked on seven goals in the third quarter and KC Kardux (Wayne, N.J.) made it a 23-2 game with a goal to open the fourth quarter. Rodrigo ended the run with a low shot off a pass from Nick Dallas (Huntington Beach, Calif.) to cut the deficit to 23-3, but Springfield added three more goals over the final five minutes of play to win their Pilgrim League opener, 26-3.

Rodrigo led Regis with a two point day with a goal and an assist. Campbell and Leighton added the other tallies for the Pride, with Stewart and Dallas picking up assists. Jack O'Brien (Milton, Mass.) led Regis with 10 groundballs and went 6-for-13 on face-offs, while Stephan Bottex (Norwood, Mass.) added two caused-turnovers and three groundballs. Morgan Ford (Smyrna, Ga.) suffered the setback, making 10 saves on the night.

Springfield had three players record hat-tricks led by three goals and two assists each from Jon Santer and Ryon Lynch. Tony LaGuerre added three goals and an assist, while Ryan Murphy, Kevin Dean, and Bryce Serriello (Cape Cod, Mass.) had two goals apiece. Matt Fleisher (Franklin, Mass.), Kevin Freeman, Mike Donoghue (Barnstable, Mass.), Jamey Conley (Waltham, Mass.), KC Kardux, Chris Loy (Somerset, N.J.), Dave Fraboni (East Longmeadow, Mass.), Jesse Freedman (Granby, Conn.), Tim Lockrow (Rensselaer, N.Y.), Brendan Boss, and Maxwell Wildes (Kennebunk, Maine) each scored a goal for the Pride.

Kevin Murphy (Mansfield, Mass.) and Sean Doolady (South Windsor, Conn.) scooped up four groundballs apiece for Springfield, while Reece Ayers (Bryn Athyn, Pa.) and Branden Fernandez (Warwick, N.Y.) each caused a pair of turnovers. Fernandez went 7-for-12 on face-offs for the night to lead a Springfield team that went 20-for-33 on face-offs on the evening. Connor Nash (Burnt Hills, N.Y.) picked up his first win of the year while making three saves, with Kevin MacBride (Merrick, N.Y.) playing the final half and adding two saves.

Regis College returns to action on Saturday afternoon as the Pride travels to Wheaton College for a 1:00 p.m. Pilgrim League game. Springfield will look for its third-straight win when they host MIT on Saturday afternoon as well, in a conference-game scheduled for 3:00 p.m.