Rindge, N.H. (4/9/22) – Franklin Pierce men's lacrosse had to weather the storm on a rainy afternoon at Sodexo Field, competing against #10 Pace University in another NE10 Conference matchup. Despite some late production from the Ravens, Pace clicked on all cylinders in the first half of play, jumping to a 9-0 lead through the first two quarters, ultimately claiming the victory by a final of 13-5.

Men's lacrosse moves to 6-2 on the season (3-2 in conference play), while the Setters improve to 8-2 overall this season.

The Setters concluded the first quarter of action with a 5-0 lead over the Ravens, with three separate players registering two points through the first fifteen minutes. Jake Veres and Anthony Caputo connected with each other twice in the first frame, each grabbing a goal and an assist on back-to-back reversed plays. In the second quarter, the pair would connect once more with Veres scoring his second of the afternoon. Midfielder Andrew Llamas would also snag two goals through the first half.

The Ravens would not see the better of the scoring chances until late, scoring their first goal of the contest on a shot from junior Owen McCormack (Hampstead, N.H) with 2:35 left to play in the third. Entering the fourth quarter, the Ravens began to find a rhythm of their own, starting with junior Nathaniel Girardin (Brunswick, ME) who caught a feed high in the crease from Conor Rooney (Wilmington, MA). Following a response goal by the Setters six seconds later, midfielder Sean Daly (Kingston, MA) found the back of the net with his sixth goal of the season, followed up with another goal from Girardin 40 seconds after, both unassisted. To cap off the afternoon, Owen McCormack also returned for seconds, scoring off a fast-break play from Andy DeMattio (North Attleboro, MA) for his first collegiate assist in his sophomore season.   

First year netminder Mike Masterpolo (Kingston, MA) returned to the Ravens crease Saturday afternoon, showing a strong performance in goal by making timely saves on challenging shots. On the day, Masterpolo finished with 12 saves on 25 total shots faced.

Men's Lacrosse hits the road for two straight NE10 matchups scheduled this week, beginning with Saint Michael's on Tuesday afternoon with the faceoff scheduled for 3:30 PM.