COLCHESTER, Vt. - The nationally-regarded Saint Michael's College men's lacrosse team wiped out a four-goal halftime deficit courtesy of an 8-1 second-half surge en route to a 11-10 victory against 17th-ranked Southern New Hampshire University on Saturday evening during Northeast 10 Conference play at Duffy Field. The Purple Knights received a vote toward last week's United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) national poll, which assigned the Penmen their ranking.
 
RECORDS

• Saint Michael's (6-1, 1-1 NE10), Southern New Hampshire (4-2, 0-2 NE10)

SAINT MICHAEL'S LEADERS

• First-year Chris Davis (Kings Park, N.Y./Kings Park), 3 goals
• Senior Owen Balfour (Mashpee, Mass./Mashpee), 2 goals
• Sophomore Noah Veroneau (South Portland, Maine/Thornton Academy), 2 goals
• First-year Zeke Peraza (Los Angeles, Calif./Saint Francis), 1 goal, 1 assist
• Junior Paul Mannke (Stoneham, Mass./Stoneham), 1 goal, 2 ground balls, 2 caused turnovers
• First-year Braeden Murphy (Miller Place, N.Y./Miller Place), 1 goal
• First-year Mason Buckley (Canton, Conn./Canton), 1 goal
• Senior Mike Nelson (Worcester, Mass./Auburn), 1 save in 17:55
• Sophomore Nate Gulachenski (Southboro, Mass./Algonquin Regional), 7 saves in 42:05 of relief, win
• Sophomore Noah Poirier (Dalton, Mass./Wahconah Regional), 15-for-23 faceoffs, 7 ground balls
• Junior Taylor Wiercinski (Groton, Mass./Lawrence Academy), 10 ground balls, 2 caused turnovers, 1-for-1 faceoff
• Sophomore Matt O'Donnell (Marshfield, Mass./Cardinal Spellman), 5 ground balls
• Junior Travis Keel (Temecula, Calif./Great Oak), 4 caused turnovers
• Sophomore Ethan Drake (Greenfield Park, Quebec/Champlain Lennoxville), 3 ground balls

OPPONENT LEADERS

• Junior Sean Dwyer, 3 goals
• Junior Patrick Roy, 1 goal, 1 assist
• Sophomore Losse Volquardsen, 1 goal, 1 assist
• Junior Matt Roy, 7 saves in 42:56, loss
• Senior John Batchelor, 3 saves in 17:04 of relief
• Junior Tucker Townsend, 8-for-16 faceoffs
• Junior Ryan Dzierzgowski, 6 ground balls, 4 caused turnovers

GAME FACTS

• The teams played their fourth consecutive one-goal meeting.
• The Purple Knight defeated a nationally-ranked team for the first time since downing No. 7 Saint Anselm College, 15-13, on April 17, 2024, and for the first time at home since defeating No. 19 Lake Erie College, 12-11, on March 9, 2022.
• Both teams took 32 shots and the Purple Knights committed one more turnover (22) than the Penmen, but the hosts created separation by going 16-for-25 on faceoffs.

THE ACTION

• In a 3-3 game, the Penmen rattled off three goals in a matter of 35 seconds early in the second quarter before junior Joey Gallo's strike at 7:00 staked the visitors to a 7-3 lead, which still stood at halftime.
• After scoring three times in the opening 31:31 of the contest, the Purple Knights matched that in the following 3:08, as Balfour (13:29), Davis (12:01) and Veroneau (10:21) all tallied early in the third quarter to make it 7-6.
• Junior Kyle Beckett reestablished Southern New Hampshire's two-goal lead with 7:26 to go before Saint Michael's rattled off the next five goals in a run that ballooned to 8-1. Five different players found the net, with Balfour tying the game at 3:12, Peraza giving his team the lead for good at 1:01, and Mannke finishing a transition opportunity with the eventual winner at 11:31 of the fourth quarter.
• Sophomore Blake Wozniak drew the Penmen within 11-9 at 9:05 before Dwyer completed his hat track at 6:18 to create a one-goal contest.
• The visitors attempted only two shots from there, with neither reaching the net, as the Purple Knights forced four turnovers down the stretch. With less than 20 seconds remaining, senior Benjamin Riggs (Plainville, Mass./King Philip Regional) forced the Penmen's final giveaway. After a Saint Michael's turnover in the midfield, a long desperation Penmen shot at the buzzer was well wide of the net.

NEXT SAINT MICHAEL'S GAME

• Next Saturday vs. No. 11 Pace University, 11 a.m.
• The Setters' national ranking is according to the USILA.