Rivier's Connor Eck celebrates a goal during the Raiders win over UNE on Wednesday at Merrill Field. (Courtesy photo by Gabby Cabral/Rivier Athletics)

NASHUA — Three Raiders recorded hat tricks as the Rivier men’s lacrosse team bested the U. of New England (UNE) 16-5 on Wednesday evening at Merrill Field.

With the victory the Raiders improved to 3-1 while the Nor’easters fell to 4-3.

Graduate student Michael Ference struck first for Rivier, scoring unassisted just 59 seconds into the contest. Senior Michael Zapatka followed at the 5:37 mark of the first quarter, and graduate teammates Coby Mercier and Connor Eck added back-to-back goals to push the Raiders ahead 4-0, prompting a Nor’easters timeout. UNE responded with its first goal of the game, but graduate student Adam Hailey netted his first of the season to close out the quarter with Rivier leading 5-1.

UNE then capitalized on two man-up opportunities over a ten-minute stretch, cutting the deficit to 5-3 with 4:52 remaining in the half. Just before the horn, Ference struck again for his second goal of the game, sending the Raiders into halftime with a 6-3 advantage.

Rivier kept the momentum rolling in the second half, as senior Chris Heitmiller buried a pass from classmate Sawyer Hall. Ference followed soon after, securing his hat trick and extending the Raiders’ lead to 8-3 with 10:03 remaining in the third. UNE managed to grab a goal back, but Rivier responded with a 5-0 run to close out the quarter. Eck fueled the surge with two quick goals to complete his hat trick, sending the Raiders into the final frame with a commanding 13-4 advantage.

Heitmiller and first-year Aiden Conley struck early in the fourth quarter before Zapatka capped off the scoring, completing his hat trick and reaching his 100th career point as the Raiders cruised to a 16-4 victory.

Eck, Ference, and Zapatka led the Raiders’ offensive charge, each tallying five points with three goals and two assists. Heitmiller followed with three points and added two ground balls. Mercier and Hall each contributed two points, while senior Joseph O’Reilly dished out two assists and collected three ground balls. Defensively, senior Parker Williams, junior Scott Miller, and sophomore Cole Ronalter shared a team-high two caused turnovers.

At the faceoff X, junior Owen McDuffie won 13-of-15 draws (86.6%) and secured team-high nine ground balls. Graduate student goalie Sawyer Gagnon recorded eight saves in the contest.

The Raiders outshot the Nor’easters 43-27 and won the ground ball battle 42-39. They also dominated at the faceoff X, securing 17-of-24 draws (70.8%), while holding a 10-6 edge in caused turnovers.

Rivier returns to action on Wednesday, March 19, for a road matchup against Curry at Walter M. Katz Field. Face-off is slated for 4 p.m.

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL

ENDICOTT 3, RIVIER 0

The Rivier men’s volleyball team fell in straight sets to non-conference foe Endicott at the Muldoon Center.

With the loss, the Raiders dropped to 6-8, while the Gulls improved to 10-8.

Senior Bassam Awde got Rivier off to a strong start with three consecutive service aces, giving the Raiders an early 3-0 lead. A kill from junior Matthew McCloskey extended the advantage to 6-2 in the first set, but Endicott responded with eight unanswered points to take an 8-6 lead. The Gulls maintained their momentum, eventually closing out the set 25-15.

Rivier trailed for much of the second set until a McCloskey kill evened the score at 23-23. A series of Endicott attack errors pushed the Raiders ahead 25-24, but the Gulls quickly responded to tie it at 25-25. Rivier briefly regained the lead with another McCloskey kill, followed by a point from sophomore Racine Camara. However, Endicott closed the set with three straight points to take the frame 29-27.

The Raiders opened the third set with a point off an Endicott attack error, but it was the only time they led in the final frame. The Gulls built a five-point lead before Rivier battled back. A McCloskey kill and back-to-back Endicott errors tied the score at 17-17. Despite the Raiders’ efforts, Endicott held firm down the stretch, securing the match with a 25-23 third-set victory.

McCloskey led Rivier’s offense with 13 kills while hitting at a .522 clip. Camara followed closely with 10 kills, while Awde posted the second-highest hitting percentage of the match at .429. Sophomore Justin Barish contributed 34 assists.

The Raiders return to action on Saturday, March 15, when they travel to face non-conference opponents Arcadia and MIT in a tri-match. First serve is set for 2 p.m. at Rockwell Cage.