RINDGE, N.H. (April 18, 2015) – In front of a raucous crowd for the first ever postseason game in program history, the fourth-seeded Franklin Pierce University men's lacrosse team used five straight goals through the middle of the game to take control, en route to a 9-5 win over fifth-seeded Assumption in the quarterfinal round of the Northeast-10 Championship at Sodexo Field on Tuesday afternoon. Senior attack Eddie Noonan (Foxboro, Mass.) had three goals and one assist to lead the way, while junior attack Casey Burnett (Windham, N.H.) provided the exclamation mark by capping a fast-break with 64 seconds to play to set the celebrations in motion.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 12-3 and advances to take on top seed Le Moyne in the semifinal round at 2 p.m. on Friday at Ted Grant Field in Syracuse, N.Y. With the loss, Assumption concludes its season at 9-8.

The Greyhounds started out strong scoring in the first minute, holding the lead until just over six minutes when Burnett tied the game. With 2:43 to go in the first quarter, senior Tim Casey scored his second goal of the game to end the quarter 2-1, with Assumption holding the advantage.

Senior Ty Martina increased the Greyhound lead with his unassisted goal. Each team ramped up their defense, and the next goal would come in the final two minutes by senior Erik Kelly (Tewksbury, Mass.) to end the first half 3-2.

Junior Malcom Sutton (Hooksett, N.H.) used his speed off a clearance pass to rocket a shot in to tie the game 3-3. Noonan would score with 28 seconds remaining in the quarter to give the Ravens the lead for the first time in the contest. The Ravens denied Assumption the whole quarter, holding them to their three goals scored in the first half. 

Two minutes into the final quarter, Noonan scored off a rebound and not even 10 seconds later, freshman Louis Palumbo (Commack, N.Y.) netted in a quick goal to mark five straight goals for the Ravens, giving them a 6-3 lead. The Ravens were buoyed during their run, and throughout the game, by a loudly supportive crowd of 282.

"The crowd was energetic," said senior tri-captain Kevin Dargin (Littleton, Mass.), after playing in the final home game of his career. "Not only did they pick us up during some of those lengthy Assumption possessions, but they helped us keep the momentum during our runs. It was great to see so many people come out and support us today."

Senior goalkeeper, Don Denman (Exeter, N.H.) held off Assumption for over 25 minutes, but with 5:22 to play in the game, Martina scored his second goal to cut  into the Raven lead, 7-5.  Noonan responded bumping up the score 8-5. With just over a minute to play, a save by Denman would spark three quick passes down the field to end with a goal by Burnett to end the game in a 9-5 victory.

Ty Martina and Tim Casey led the Greyhounds with two goals each, while freshman Connor Darby added in another goal. Junior Nick Guarino led the defense with seven ground balls. Senior Will Contento made 13 saves, but took the loss (9-8) in his 60:00 of play.  

Eddie Noonan led the game with four points, including three goals and an assist, he also picked up two ground balls. Louis Palumbo scored two goals and grabbed three groundballs, while Casey Burnett also scored two goals, and grabbed two ground balls. Malcom Sutton added in a goal while collecting three ground balls. Don Denman made eight saves to take the win (12-3) during his 60:00 between the pipes.