HENNIKER, N.H. – The New England College men's lacrosse team lost 10-9 to visiting Gordon College in non-conference action on Wednesday evening at Don Melander Field in Henniker, New Hampshire.

THE BASICS
Score:                    Gordon 10, New England College 9
Records:               Pilgrims 0-5 | Scots 4-4

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Down 1-0 with 5:18 to go in the first quarter, NEC senior midfielder Joey Olsen (Mansfield, Mass.) found senior attacker Matt Daley (Plymouth, Mass.) on a pass for Daley's sixth goal of the season as the Pilgrims tied it up a one-all.
• Later trailing 3-1 just 55 seconds into the second quarter, Daley was behind the Gordon net when he came around and – despite fierce defense by the Scots – shot it himself on an over-the-shoulder shot to pull the 'Grims to within one with his second goal of the game.
• Down 7-2 with 4:08 left in the second, the Pilgrims battled to get back in it. NEC junior-transfer attacker Henri Pfeifle (Darien, Conn.) – already the team's leading scorer in his first year in Henniker – scored his 14^th goal of the season with an assist to junior attacker Thomas Norton (Mansfield, Mass.). Less than a minute later, NEC freshman defender Brody McGonigle (Concord, N.H.) scored his first career goal on an unassisted strike, pulling the hosts to within three.
• With 14.4 seconds left in the first and the snow starting to come down on the field, Daley found NEC senior midfielder Thomas Doe (Windham, N.H.) who turned and fired for his fifth goal of the season, pulling the 'Grims to within two going into halftime as the fans fled the field for warmer accommodations. The teams went into halftime with the Scots leading 7-5. Gordon freshman attacker Nick Buccella (Weymouth, Mass.) dominated with first half with four goals while senior midfielder John Flemmi (Braintree, Mass.) added two more.
• The third quarter saw both teams battle it out as the snowfall reduced the visibility on field, creating a challenge for players and officials alike. Flemmi scored his third goal of the game a minute in, but with 6:14 remaining in the quarter, Doe would take it in himself, pulling the 'Grims back to within two. Nevertheless, the teams entered the final quarter with Gordon leading 10-6.
• Just 32 seconds into the fourth quarter, NEC would start to rally. Pfeifle found Daley for the senior's third goal of the game, giving him the hat trick and pulling the 'Grims back to within three.
• Then with 11:49 left in the game, Pfeifle would take a pass from a hard-charging Doe and would finish to make it a two-goal game. On the next possession, Doe drew a penalty, setting up a man-up goal for Norton with an assist to Daley. Just like that, the 'Grims were within one.
• The next ten minutes saw both teams battle back and forth, unable to find the goal that would make the difference. With 1:36 remaining in the game, NEC head coach Jedd Brown called timeout and gathered his team to setup a play. But two turnovers in the next minute would doom their efforts as they came up just short at the buzzer.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• NEC freshman goalkeeper Nate Finn (Norwood, Mass.) posted a career-high 12 saves for the Pilgrims in his third career start.
• Gordon junior goalkeeper Colin Liscomb (Woodstock, Conn.) finished with 19 stops for the Scots.
• Doe amassed a game-high eight ground balls on the evening, while Daley scored three goals with two assists and two ground balls.
• Buccella led the Fighting Scots with five goals while Flemmi added four.
• NEC senior face-off specialist Evan Zonderman (Dracut, Mass.) went 16-of-22 on face offs for the 'Grims, with three ground balls.

UP NEXT

• NEC is back on the field on Saturday when they play host to Regis College in a 4:00 p.m. game.
• Gordon plays their next game at Nichols College next Wednesday at 7:00 p.m.

For continuing coverage of New England College Athletics, visit athletics.nec.edu and follow the Pilgrims on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.