WENHAM, Mass.—A high-scoring first half powered Western New England to a 15-9 victory over Gordon Men's Lacrosse on Tuesday night under the Brigham Athletic Complex lights. The Golden Bears rolled out to an 11-3 halftime lead, but Gordon fought back in the fourth quarter to close the gap.
 
The Golden Bears improved to 6-4 overall and 3-0 in the Commonwealth Coast Conference. Gordon falls to 4-8 overall and 1-3 in the CCC.
 
Michael Utz (Rochester, N.Y.) had a hat trick for Gordon, including the first goal on the board just a minute and a half into the opening period.
 
Not to be outdone, the Golden Bears went on a 5-0 run to end the first quarter while keeping possession for much of the period. Western New England put nine of their 10 shots in the first quarter on goal, forcing Cody Greenwald (Albany, N.Y.) into some tough saves.
 
Justin Bard (Westfield, Mass.) scored his team-leading 29^th goal in the fourth minute to even the score. Frank Medlicott (Stanwood, Wash.) and Dan McKenna (Merrick, N.Y.) each added man-up goals during the run as well. Mike Jednak (Franklin, Mass.) and Max Barterletti (Montgomery, N.J.) also added goals in the first quarter.
 
Jon Bota (Mahopac, N.Y.) made it 6-1 Golden Bears at the beginning of the second quarter before Michael Utz laced his second goal of the game a minute later. The Golden Bears put together another 4-0 run to place the Fighting Scots in a precarious situation approaching the half.
 
Western New England led 11-3 after 30 minutes with Bard notching a hat-trick before the halftime whistle. The Golden Bears outshot Gordon 26-10 in the first half and had a quality 81-percent on-goal mark at the break.
 
After a low-scoring third quarter, Gordon finally found its groove in the final period. Jake Martin (Watertown, Conn.) completed a hat trick with two goals in the fourth quarter, while Nico Manganiello (Peabody, Mass.) and Roger Evans (Oxford, Pa.) each found the back of the net in the late stages. Gordon ended the game on a 4-0 run.
 
Brandon Body (Newtown, Conn.) earned his sixth win of the season by making six saves and only allowing five goals. Greewald made 13 saves in between the pipes for the Scots, but took his seventh loss on the year.
 
WNE's David Cedrone (Yantic, Conn.) won 13 of 20 face offs on the evening and picked up a game-high eight ground balls.
 
The Golden Bears return home on Thursday for a tough cross-town matchup with regionally ranked Springfield College.  Gordon has the week off before going back on the road to Milton, Mass. for a CCC game against Curry.