Box Score WENHAM, Mass.—Gordon Men's Lacrosse used a six-goal first quarter to take control of a 15-8 win over the Nichols Bison on a rainy Tuesday evening. The Fighting Scots received five goals and two assists from sophomore Ryan Utz (Rochester, N.Y.) in a convincing victory in Commonwealth Coast Conference action.
The Fighting Scots didn't allow a disappointing home loss to Wentworth on Saturday hang over their heads for very long. Jake Martin (Watertown, Conn.) scored two goals in the 30-second span to open a 2-0 lead just a few minutes into the first quarter. Martin took the first goal all the way in by himself and muscled his way through two defenders for the score. The Scots' leading scorer found his second goal on a give-and-go attempt between Utz and him.
Nichols cut the Fighting Scots' lead in half on a goal by Corey Davis (Wakefield, Mass.) with 10:36 left in the first period. The Bison won the ensuing faceoff and looked poised to knot the game at two, but Cody Greenwald (Albany, N.Y.) made an acrobatic stop to keep Gordon's momentum. The offense obliged with a quick goal on the other end, with Utz scoring on a diving attempt at 9:35.
The Scots scored three more goals in the final four minutes of the period to take a commanding 6-1 lead. Jordan Heckelmann (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Roger Evans (Oxford, Pa.) both netted their first goals of the game, while Martin added a hat-trick after only one period.
Thor Rasmussen (Fairfax, Va.) skipped a shot past Peter Zygadlo (Hanover, Mass.) to push Gordon's lead to six. Nichols' Anthony Verville (Portland, Maine) and Utz traded scores back and forth in a low-scoring second quarter. The Scots held the big advantage, 8-2 at the break.
Nichols found more success in the third quarter, cutting the Scots lead to five on a strike from Verville. Evans scored a man-up goal with 48 ticks on the clikc in the third period to make it a six-goal deficit once again.
The Scots closed out the win and led by as a many as nine goals in the final 15 minutes. Gordon freshman Logan McCulloch (Hamilton, Mass.) scored his first collegiate goal for the Scots' final score with 1:40 remaining.
Zygadlo made 19 saves in a losing effort, while Greenwald and Brian Lane (Rochester, N.Y.) combined for 12 saves.
Gordon improves to 8-7 on the year and 4-3 in the conference. With Wentworth losing to Salve Regina on Tuesday, the Fighting Scots are still in a running for a home playoff game beginning next week. Nichols falls to 0-6 in conference play, which officially eliminates them from postseason contention.
The Scots close the regular season with regionally ranked Western New England next Wednesday in Springfield.
