History was made on Saturday afternoon as the Saint Anselm College men’s lacrosse team claimed its first-ever outright Northeast-10 Conference (NE10) Regular Season Championship. The Hawks, ranked third in the nation, traveled to Northwell Stadium and took down eighth-ranked Pace University with a hard-fought 15-12 win, wrapping up a perfect 11-0 regular season (8-0 in NE10 play).
This marks just the second regular season title in program history for Saint Anselm, the first coming in 2021. But this time, it’s all theirs, no ties at the top of the standings, just a clean, undefeated run to the crown.
Senior Will Andrews (Cumberland, R.I.) led the charge for the Hawks, scoring a career-high four goals in the win. He opened the scoring just two minutes into the game and never looked back, finishing the day with five total points. Saint Anselm came out firing, scoring six goals in the first quarter and completely silencing the Pace crowd. Joining Andrews on the early scoring spree were Colin Mulvey, Quinn Gannon, Maverick Lyon, and Mark Boyle. Gannon’s goal was especially electric, winning the faceoff and sprinting the length of the field to score his first goal of the season. Pace finally got on the board with just 22 seconds left in the first, but the damage was done. The Hawks went into halftime up 9-3 after tacking on goals from Matt Lemay and Ben Turpin, along with Andrews’ third of the day.
The Hawks kept the pressure on in the second half. Mulvey and Lemay each scored again, building the lead to as much as 13-6 early in the fourth quarter. However, Pace didn’t go down quietly. In a long stretch, the Setters scored four goals in under three minutes, cutting the Hawks’ lead to just three. But Gannon came up clutch again, winning a key faceoff that led to a Pace penalty. On the man-up opportunity, Mulvey found the back of the net for his third goal of the game, restoring some breathing room. Lyon added a late insurance goal, and while Pace added two goals in the final two minutes, it wasn’t enough. The Hawks held on for the three-goal win, finishing their second undefeated regular season in program history.
With the win, Saint Anselm earns the #1 seed in the upcoming NE10 Men’s Lacrosse Championship and a first-round bye. The Hawks will next play on Wednesday, April 30th at 7:00 p.m. in the NE10 Semifinals at Grappone Stadium, where they’ll face the winner of the #4 Assumption vs. #5 Bentley game.
The Hawks’ victory on Saturday not only gave them the NE10 regular season title, but also extended their winning streak to 11 straight games to start the year. It’s been a dominant spring for Saint Anselm, and now they’ll look to keep the magic alive in the postseason.
One game at a time, but if Saturday’s win is any sign, the Hawks are ready for the challenge.