NASHUA, N.H. – The Rivier men's lacrosse team came back to win 16-3 after being down 4-2 to Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) opponent Dean Saturday afternoon at Joanne Merrill Field.
With the win, the Raiders improved to 3-0 (1-0 GNAC), while the Bulldogs fell to 2-3 (0-2 GNAC).
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Rivier opened the game with an even-strength goal from first-year Andrew Nee at 14:50 off a pass from classmate Colin Foley. Dean responded with three consecutive goals at 9:40, 6:55, and 5:51 to take a 3–1 lead. Rivier generated several late possessions, and sophomore Jake Lydon recorded multiple saves to keep the deficit at two heading into the quarter break.
- First-year Henri Brochu scored at 13:40 to cut the margin to one before Dean extended its lead to 4–2 at 11:28. Rivier answered with goals from sophomore Aiden Conley at 10:37 and sophomore James DelPrete at 8:53 and 6:40 to move ahead 5-4. Dean tied the game at 5-5 at 5:45 and then went up 6–5 at 2:27. DelPrete equalized at 1:37, and Brochu added another with 31 seconds remaining to give Rivier a 7–6 halftime advantage.
- Senior Braydon Bourque scored 24 seconds into the period to extend the lead to 8–6. Conley added a man-down goal at 11:04 and followed with another at 8:55. DelPrete scored at 3:05 to make it 11–6. Dean converted a man-up opportunity at 2:48, but Rivier closed the quarter with two goals from sophomore Mason Schultz in the final 11 seconds to take a 13–7 lead.
- Nee scored unassisted at 13:27, and Conley added another at 12:33 to extend the advantage to 15–7. Dean scored at 12:20 and later added a man-up goal at 2:20. Conley recorded his final goal of the day at 2:03, and Rivier maintained possession through the closing minutes to secure the 16-9 result.
BOX SCORE BREAKDOWN
- As a team, the Raiders outshot Dean 43-33.
- Rivier held a slight advantage in face-offs 14-13.
- Conley's seven-point performance (5-2-7) set a new career-high in goals and points.
- Brochu's two goals were the first of his collegiate career.
UP NEXT
The Raiders travel to non-conference opponent VTSU-Castleton on Wednesday, Mar. 10. The opening face-off is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. at Dave Wolk Stadium.