MASSACHUSETTS MARITIME MEN’S LACROSSE

Saturday, April 25, 2015

Nordin Field, Norton, Mass.

FINAL:                   WHEATON 15, MASSACHUSETTS MARITIME 7

NORTON, Mass. --  Senior Matthew Hillman (Brookline, Mass.) netted five goals, while sophomore Ryan Gjerset (Austin, Tex.) added a hat trick and two assists to lead Wheaton to a 15-7 New England Women’s & Men’s Athletic Conference men’s lacrosse victory over Massachusetts Maritime Saturday evening at Nordin Field.

Hillman and Gjerset each tallied twice in the opening 30 minutes of play to stake the host Lyons (10-6, 4-3 NEWMAC) to a 6-0 advantage at the break, and after the visiting Buccaneers (6-10, 1-6 NEWMAC) closed back to within five on markers by sophomores Ryan McNeill (Burlington, Mass.) and Steven Anderson (Crownsville, Md.) early in the third quarter, Wheaton took control of the contest with five unanswered goals (including two more from Hillman) over a 7:49 stretch to take a 13-3 lead into the final frame and ice its triumph.

Juniors Brian Teague (Cross River, N.Y.) and Kyle Rumberger (Hyannis, Mass.), sophomores Devin Higgins (Nantucket, Mass.), Casey Buchholz (North Granby, Conn.) and Kyle Neale (Brooklyn, N.Y.), along with freshmen James Holston (Wynnewood, Pa.) and Griffin Phaneuf (Manchester, N.H.), added goals in the victory for Wheaton, which also received a pair of assists from sophomore Will Morrison (Osterville, Mass.) and single helpers off the sticks of sophomores Eric Jansen (Walpole, Mass.) and Alex Gafford (St. Louis, Mo.).  Junior Sean Staples (Norwell, Mass.) tallied twice in the setback for Massachusetts Maritime, which also received a goal and an assist from freshman Robert Steinweg (Arnold, Md.).  Senior Dylan Freudenberg (Islip, N.Y.) also scored for the Buccaneers, who received a pair of helpers off the stick of sophomore Kevin Collins (Hampden, Mass.).

Junior Ryan Clair (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) picked up the win in goal for Wheaton with 11 saves over the first 56-plus minutes of play, while junior James Klose (Ellicott City, Md.) made 17 stops over the same time period in the setback for Massachusetts Maritime.  The Lyons outshot the Buccaneers by a 54-33 margin while holding a 21-5 edge in face off wins for the match.

Wheaton is seeded fourth in the upcoming New England Women’s & Men’s Athletic Conference Championships and will travel to top-seeded Babson for a semifinal round match on Wednesday.  Tonight’s contest closed out the 2015 schedule for Massachusetts Maritime, which captured its second straight Maritime Cup title and fourth straight Admiral’s Cup from rival Maine Maritime earlier this year.