Manchester, N.H. (4/6/22) - The Franklin Pierce University men's lacrosse team battled back in a closely contested overtime thriller matchup with #15 Saint Anselm on Wednesday evening, closing the deal on a winning goal from junior midfielder Nathaniel Girardin (Brunswick, ME) for a final score of 10-9.

With the win, the Ravens now hold a 6-1 overall record this season, now having gone 3-1 overall against NE10 opponents. Saint Anselm moves to 4-4 on their season with the loss.

The Hawks opened the scoring early on, potting the first goal of the contest 32 seconds into the action.  The majority of the first quarter proved to be a defensive battle, with the next goal coming with 4:57 left, once again from Saint Anselm.

It wasn't until the 3:50 mark of the first quarter when the Ravens finally found the scoresheet, with senior Stephen Ell (Peabody, MA) netting his team leading 23rd goal of the season, unassisted. With the slight momentum swing, the Ravens rebounded with another goal two minutes later, off a shot from midfielder Sean Daly (Kingston, MA) to tie it up at 2-2, once again unassisted.

The second quarter was a low scoring affair for both squads, with the Ravens scoring a single goal with 2:19 left on a marker from Caleb Ikkela (Onset, MA). The Hawks would add two more through the quarter, and carry a 5-3 lead to the half.

Franklin Pierce then returned from the break vitalized, scoring a pair of goals at the mid-way point of the third quarter from sophomore Connor Rooney (Wilmington, MA) and junior Nathaniel Girardin (Brunswick, ME), bringing the Ravens to within one goal. Girardin would also add an assist to a strike from Josh Dorr (Brunswick, ME) in the waning seconds of the quarter.

Trailing by two goals heading into the fourth quarter, the Ravens cooked up an offensive outburst, scoring three additional goals to claim their first lead of the evening, 9-8. Out of the three tallies, recently named NE10 "Player of the Week" Owen McCormack (Hampstead, N.H.) scored his only goal of the evening, while both Ell and Daly collected their second goals of the contest. The Hawks refused to surrender, and would score the tying goal with 5:49 left in regulation, setting the stage for Girardin's overtime heroics.

It only took 2:09 into overtime for the game to be decided, off a quick transition play down the field that saw Dorr connect with Girardin once again, ending the game in thrilling fashion and sending the Ravens home on a high note. With the victory, the Ravens emerge triumphant against the Hawks for the first time since 2015.

In his first collegiate start, freshman goalkeeper Mike Masterpolo (Kingston, MA) faced 28 total shots on goal, making 19 saves in the winning effort, also the first of his collegiate career.

Next up, the Ravens return home to Sodexo Field this coming Saturday for an afternoon tilt with Pace University at 1PM.