HENNIKER, N.H. – The New England College men's lacrosse team completed the four-peat on Saturday afternoon at Don Melander Field in Henniker, New Hampshire, winning the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Championship for the third consecutive time with a 17-5 victory over visiting Eastern Nazarene College.
THE BASICS
Score: Eastern Nazarene 5, New England College 17
Records: Pilgrims 5-11 | Lions 3-8
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Up 6-3 at halftime, the 'Grims pulled away in the third quarter, taking control with six unanswered goals. The Lions didn't score in the second half until 11:43 left in the fourth quarter.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- NEC senior midfielder Devon Saeger (Chester Springs, Penn.) carried the 'Grims in the first half, posting a hat trick of three goals before adding one more in the second half.
- NEC senior attacker Sam Crary (Newburyport, Mass.) matched Saeger with four goals on the day.
- Eastern Nazarene senior attacker Devano Clarke (Lucea, Jamaica), the NECC Offensive Player of the Year, kept the Lions in the game in the first half, scoring two of their first three goals.
- NEC sophomore goalie Connor Almstrom (Cumberland, R.I.), the NECC Defensive Player of the Year, finished with two saves.
- Eastern Nazarene sophomore goalie Walter Stockwell (Hyde Park, Mass.) was a force in net for the Lions, finishing with 23 saves.
- NEC freshman long-stick midfielder Jackson Kain (Plattsburgh, N.Y.), the NECC Rookie of the Year, was a terror on the defensive end with five caused turnovers and six ground balls in addition to two assists.
- Eastern Nazarene sophomore attacker Jamar Griggs (Stamford, Conn.) finished with two goals on the day for the Lions.
- NEC junior midfielder Thomas Doe (Windham, N.H.), a two-time NECC All-Conference selection, posted one of the best performances of his career with one goal, two assists, a team-high ten ground balls and two caused turnovers.
- NEC sophomore attacker Thomas Norton (Mansfield, Mass.), the NECC's leading scorer this season and another All-NECC selection, posted three goals and three assists.
- NEC freshman midfielder Nathan Hawkins (Salisbury, N.H.) had a breakout game for the 'Grims with three goals, all of those coming in the pivotal third quarter, with five ground balls.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
- New England College becomes the final champion in the history of the NECC, receiving their trophy in a post-game ceremony. Jackson Kain of NEC was named Most Valuable Player of the NECC Championship Tournament, with ten other players recognized as All-Tournament team selections.
- New England College – Thomas Norton
- New England College – Thomas Doe
- New England College – Devon Saeger
- New England College – junior defenseman Gino Bonaventura (Peabody, Mass.)
- New England College – Connor Almstrom
- Eastern Nazarene College – Devano Clarke
- Eastern Nazarene College – Walter Stockwell
- Eastern Nazarene College – senior midfielder Matt Cawthorne (Norwell, Mass.)
- Eastern Nazarene College – Jamar Griggs
- Eastern Nazarene College – Xavier Depina
UP NEXT
- Eastern Nazarene concludes their season while New England College advances to the CSAC-NECC Alliance Championship game against Rosemont College on Saturday, May 6th.
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