RINDGE, N.H. (March 18, 2018) – Senior midfielder Sean Delea (Hampstead, N.H.) led all players with five points, on four goals and an assist, while junior attack Jake Castorf (Holbrook, N.Y.) and senior midfielder Benjamin Lassow (Mansfield, Conn.) added three goals apiece on Sunday afternoon, as the Franklin Pierce University men's lacrosse team returned home for the first time in 2018. The Ravens used an eight-goal second quarter to create separation and rolled to a 16-7 victory over visiting American International in Northeast-10 Conference play.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 3-0 (2-0 NE10), while American International falls to 1-5 (0-3 NE10).

Franklin Pierce scored the first four goals of the game on Sunday and pretty much never looked back. Delea opened the scoring and later set up junior attack Luke Tracy (Windham, N.H.) to tally two points on the game-opening surge. AIC answered with a pair of goals from junior midfielder Quinn Caesar to close the gap to 4-2 before the end of the first quarter.

The Ravens put a vice-like grip on the game in the second period. Franklin Pierce scored eight goals in the frame, while surrendering none, to build a 12-2 lead heading into halftime and all but put the game away. Delea put away three more goals in the quarter to finish his hat trick and add another goal for good measure. Senior attack Jack Carney (Dunbarton, N.H.) dished out all four of his assists on the day in the second stanza. Castorf put home two goals in the frame to finish his hat trick, while Lassow found the net for his first of the afternoon as well. Off a restart in the final seconds, Carney slipped a pass over the back of the net to freshman midfielder Josh Dorr (Brunswick, Maine) out front, and the latter buried a quick shot for his first collegiate goal, with just one second showing on the clock.

Things settled back down in the second half, with AIC enjoying a 5-4 scoring edge the rest of the way, though the Yellow Jackets were unable to make any serious dent in the lead. Lassow struck once in the third and again in the fourth to complete his hat trick, while junior midfielder Callan Lemay (Wilton, N.Y.) notched his second goal of the day in the final period as well. Freshmen attacks Rawill Herrera and Matt Deloria capped the scoring for AIC, both finishing off assists from senior attack Jack McIntyre, to create the 16-7 final.

Delea (4-1-5) and Carney (0-4-4) led the way for Franklin Pierce offensively, while Castorf (3-0-3), Lassow (3-0-3) and sophomore midfielder Joe Palmeri (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) (1-2-3) all tallied three points apiece as well. Junior midfielder Chris Sanderson (Saugus, Mass.) and senior midfielder Louis Palumbo (Commack, N.Y.) combined to win 15 of the game's 25 faceoffs for Franklin Pierce, and each nabbed a team-best five ground balls in the process. Tracy caused a game-high three turnovers.

McIntyre (1-3-4) led AIC on the offensive side of the ball, while Caeser and Deloria put home two goals apiece. McIntyre and junior midfielder Will Lewis each matched Sanderson and Palumbo with five ground balls of their own. Senior midfielder Corey Papineau caused a pair of turnovers for the Yellow Jackets.

Franklin Pierce used five goalkeepers in the victory. Freshman Justin Lorenzo (Goshen, N.Y.) started and made four saves against six shots on goal in the first half to pick up the win (3-0). Senior Connor Wacksman (Guilderland, N.Y.) stopped three of five shots in the third quarter and three other Raven netminders split time in the fourth quarter.

At the other end of the field, freshman goalkeeper Jacob Ortiz (1-5) went the distance in net for AIC. He finished with 16 saves against 32 shots on goal, as Franklin Pierce piled up a 55-28 advantage in shot attempts and 32-16 in shots on goal on the afternoon.

The Ravens return to the field on Tuesday, March 20, when they travel to Roberts Wesleyan for a non-conference contest. Game time is set for 2 p.m. in Rochester, N.Y.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce lacrosse apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).