HENNIKER, N.H. – The New England College men's lacrosse team picked up their first win of the season with a 24-2 victory over visiting Mitchell College in New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) action on Wednesday at Don Melander Field in Henniker, New Hampshire.

THE BASICS
Score:                    Mitchell 2, New England College 24
Records:               Pilgrims 1-10, 1-0 NECC | Mariners 0-12, 0-2 NECC

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Pilgrims got on the board first when senior attacker Sam Crary (Newburyport, Mass.) came around the net and found junior midfielder Joey Olsen (Mansfield, Mass.) for his third goal of the season with 9:49 in the first quarter to put NEC up 1-0.
• Then with 4:19 remaining in the opening quarter, junior attacker Matt Daley (Plymouth, Mass.) made it 2-0 when he took a pass from sophomore attacker Thomas Norton (Mansfield, Mass.) and found the back of the net for the 14^th goal of the season for the two-time NECC Offensive Player of the Week.  
• Olsen scored his second goal of the game to put the 'Grims up 3-0 with 1:17 left in the first to bring the opening quarter scoring to a close.
• In the second quarter, NEC started to pull away. After an unassisted goal from senior midfielder Devon Saeger (Chester Springs, Penn.), Norton took over the game scoring three goals in the space of less than a minute to increase his team-high total to 19 on the year. After Olsen put the 'Grims up 8-0 for his second career hat trick, NEC's top three goal-scorers of Daley, Crary and Norton would each score to close out the first half with the home team leading 11-0. The Mariners would never challenge again.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Norton finished with a team-high 11 points, his highest output of the season, off of six goals and five assists.
• Daley contributed six goals, three assists and four ground balls.
• Olsen, who entered the game with seven career goals in 18 games, found the back of the net a career-high four times with one assist.

• NEC sophomore goalie Connor Almstrom (Cumberland, R.I.) picked up his first win of the season in net, while freshman goalie Jared O'Connor (Washington, N.H.) played the second half in relief.
• NEC freshman long-stick midfielder Jackson Kain (Plattsburgh, N.Y.), the Pilgrims' top defensive field player all season long and a four-time NECC Rookie of the Week, scored his first and second career goals while tallying six caused turnovers and nine ground balls.
• NEC freshman midfielder Nathan Hawkins (Salisbury, N.H.), a two-time NECC Rookie of the Week, posted a career-high two goals to go along with two ground balls.
• NEC junior defenseman Gino Bonaventura (Peabody, Mass.) scored just his second goal of the season and his career.
• NEC sophomore midfielder Cam Hebert (Plantation, Fla.) went 19-of-29 on faceoffs, tallying a team-high 11 ground balls.

• Mitchell senior goalie Ethan Wheeler (Annapolis, Md.) finished with 15 saves for the Mariners in a valiant effort.
• Mitchell junior midfielder Dylan Kinsella (Waterbury, Conn.) and junior midfielder Weston Schumacher (Sherborn, Mass.) scored the Mariners' two goals of the game, those coming late in the fourth quarter.

UP NEXT

• NEC is back on the field on Saturday when they play host to Eastern Nazarene College in a 1:00 p.m. game. The Pilgrims will be recognizing their 2023 senior class prior to the game as part of senior day.
• Mitchell plays their next game next Wednesday when they travel to ENC for an 8:00 p.m. game against the Lions.

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