Gordon hands Salve Regina its first loss

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Gordon College held off a feisty Salve Regina men's lacrosse team as the Fighting Scots handed the Seahawks their first loss of the season in the Commonwealth Coast Conference opener for both teams. The Fighting Scots defeated Salve Regina 15-13 at Stevenson Field, home of Brown University.

Salve Regina slips to 7-1 on the year and 0-1 in the conference with the loss while Gordon improves to 4-4 on the year and 1-0 in the CCC.

After the Fighting Scots raced out to a 5-0 lead over the first quarter and change, Salve Regina broke through on the score board as freshman Nick LoCicero (Lynbrook, N.Y.) gave a quick feed to sophomore Cam Brazill (Ridgewood, N.J.) for his 25^th assist of the season, tying Salve Regina's single-season record. Junior Alex Hennessy (West Babylon, N.Y.) picked up a loose ball off the next face off and raced toward the cage to net his first goal of the season to cut the Gordon lead to 6-2 with 12 minutes to play in the second quarter.

Sophomore Roger Evans (Oxford, Pa.) and junior Michael Utz (Rochester, N.Y.) scoring a pair of goals before sophomore Sharp Jones (Scituate, Mass.) and Michael Utz split a pair of goals as the Fighting Scots took its largest lead of the second, 8-3.

Sophomore James Fee (Massapequa, N.Y.) and freshman Eric Backus (Mansfield, Mass.) scored back-to-back goals to cut GC's lead to 8-5 with 4:09 to play before the half. Junior Jordan Heckleman (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Michael Utz scored a pair of goals around senior Dan Parks (Nesconset, N.Y.) scored his 13^th of the year.

The Fighting Scots opened the third quarter on an extra man opportunity and took advantage as Michael Utz tallied his fourth of the game to push the GC lead to 11-6. LoCicero and Fee scored back to back goals within 43 seconds of each other to pull within three, 11-8, with 12:03 to play. After a successful clear and a ground ball pick up, senior Curtis McKeon (West Haven, Conn.) sent home his 20^th goal of the year to get the Seahawks within two, 11-9, but sophomore Ryan Utz (Rochester, N.Y.) answered to give the Fighting Scots a three-goal lead once again with 3:30 to play in the third. Fee closed out the third with this 13^th tally of the year to cut the lead to two goals, 12-10.

Ryan Utz extended the lead to three goals once again in the opening two minutes of the fourth before senior Chad Hollenshade (Lutherville, Md.) took a pass from LoCicero for his 16^th marker of the year. LoCicero's 26^th assist of the season set Salve Regina's new single-season assist record just eight games into the year.

McKeon followed Hollenshade with his 21^st of the season before Evans pushed the lead back to two goasl, 14-12, with 6:59 to play. McKeon and Ryan Utz traded goals to finish the fourth quarter and hand the Seahawks their first loss of the year as the Fighting Scots came out on top, 15-13.

McKeon and Fee finished the day with a hat trick for Salve Regina while Michael Utz led the Fighting Scots with four goals and Evans, Martin, and Ryan Utz finished the day with a hat trick for GC.

Gordon returns to action when the Fighting Scots take on Roger Williams on Wednesday at 7 p.m. while the Seahawks look to get back in the winning column as they travel to Curry for a 4:30 p.m. opening faceoff on Wednesday.