Andrew Nee, left, and Mason Schultz combined for eight of Rivier's 21 goals in Saturday's win over Albertus Magnus at Merrill Field. (Photo courtesy of Rivier Athletics)

NASHUA – The Rivier men’s lacrosse team dominated in their matinee Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) meeting with Albertus Magnus, 21-2, at Joanne Merrill Field.

With the win, the Raiders remain perfect on the season, improving to 7-0 (3-0 GNAC), while the Falcons fell to 3-5 (1-4 GNAC). The Raiders have tallied 46 goals in their last two games.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Rivier erupted for 13 goals in the opening half while keeping Albertus Magnus off the board, setting the tone early in the first quarter. First-years Conor Walsh and Andrew Nee connected just 1:54 in to open the scoring, and 40 seconds later, first-year Henri Brochu found sophomore James DelPrete to quickly double the lead. The Raiders continued to build momentum as sophomores Aiden Conley and Mason Schultz added tallies at 9:10 and 7:28, respectively. Schultz struck again for his second of the game before Nee notched his first, and Walsh capped the dominant quarter with his second goal at 1:38, sending Rivier into the second with a commanding 7-0 advantage

Rivier carried its momentum into the second quarter, continuing to pull away as Brochu netted his second goal of the afternoon. DelPrete extended the lead to 9-0 at the 7:39 mark, before Schultz scored in back-to-back fashion to complete his hat trick and push the advantage to 11. Nee and DelPrete added late goals at 4:00 and 2:49, respectively, as the Raiders took a 13-0 lead into halftime.

Rivier added to its lead early in the third quarter, as first-year Colin Foley capitalized on a rebound just 59 seconds in for his second goal of the season. Albertus Magnus broke up the shutout at the 13:13 mark with a goal from Nicholas Longo. Following a stretch of nearly eight scoreless minutes, the Raiders closed out the quarter with a late surge, as Nee and Conley combined for three goals over the final 5:02 to extend the lead to 16.

Rivier maintained control in the fourth quarter, as DelPrete and Nee each recorded their fourth goals of the game to continue the offensive push. Albertus Magnus answered with its second goal of the afternoon off the stick of Marcus Burrows, but the Raiders quickly responded as Brochu added another at 3:11. First-year Cooper Goodman capped the scoring with a man-up goal, securing the 21-2 victory.

BOX SCORE BREAKDOWN

DelPrete led the team with seven total points (4-3-7), followed by Schultz with six (4-2-6)…Nee and Brochu each added five points to the scoresheet.

Senior Owen McDuffie dominated the face-of circle, going 15 of 17 from the dot and logged a game-high 11 ground balls.

Defensively, first-year Logan Layton caused four turnovers, with Schultz and Foley each causing three…In between the pipes, sophomore Jake Lydon recorded a first half shutout with one save and junior Lucas Fitts added two stops.

UP NEXT

The Raiders return to action Wednesday for a GNAC matchup with Regis (Mass.). The opening faceoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Joanne Merrill Field.

BASEBALL SPLITS WITH SAINT JOE’S (CONN.)

The Rivier baseball team opened Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play with a split at Saint Joseph (Conn.), falling 4-3 in game one before bouncing back for a 2-1 win in game two.

With the result, the Raiders moved to 4-8 (1-1 GNAC), while the Blue Jays moved to 8-5 (1-1 GNAC).

Saint Joseph (Conn.) 4, Rivier 3 (7 innings)

The Bluejays took a 3-0 lead after four innings of play. In the fifth, senior Dylan Aliberti singled to center field to lead off, then advanced to second off an attempted pickoff. Sophomore Brady Balint grounded out to second but pushed Aliberti home.

USJ took back the three-run lead, scoring one in the bottom half of the fifth

The Raiders pushed two more runs across in the sixth inning. Sophomore Colton Colleran drew a walk, and junior Nathan Innerfield reached on an error to put runners on base. Fellow junior Sebastien Reis drove in Colleran with an RBI, while Aliberti followed with a walk. Sophomore David Miller then singled to load the bases, setting the stage for Balint, who delivered an RBI single to cut the deficit to one, 4-3.

But it would not be enough as the Blue Jays sealed game one in the seventh.

Balint went 1-of-3, recording two RBI, while Reis tallied one RBI.

Rivier 2, Saint Joseph 1 (9 innings)

After six scoreless innings, the Blue Jays struck first with a run.

The Raiders answered in the seventh. With two outs, sophomore Jayce Martinez doubled to left and moved to third on a wild pitch. First-year Austin Suchecki delivered with a single to center, bringing Martinez home to tie the game. Rivier turned a key double play in the bottom half to keep it even at 1-1 heading into the eighth.

Colleran sparked the offense with a leadoff double in the eighth, and Innerfield followed with an RBI single to give the Raiders a 2-1 lead.

Junior Chris Volino went 7.0 innings, striking out two and allowing one run.

Senior Ty Baker came on in relief, striking out two and shutting the door to secure the 2-1 win.

Martinez went 2-of-3 with a run…Innerfield and Suchecki each went 1-of-4 with an RBI..Volino and Baker combined for four strikeouts.

The Raiders return to action today at Elms for another GNAC doubleheader at McKenzie Stadium, first pitch is set for 12 p.m., and the second game is scheduled for 3 p.m.

WOMEN’S LACROSSE

LASELL 14, RIVIER 9

The Rivier women’s lacrosse team fell to Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) opponent Lasell at Grellier Field in Newton, Mass.

With the loss, the Raiders dropped to 2-5 (1-3 GNAC), while the Lasers improved to 4-1 (3-1 GNAC).

Lasell opened the scoring just under three minutes into the contest, but Rivier responded a little over two minutes later as first-years Olivia Wheeler and Hayleigh Young connected to even the game. The Lasers answered with three straight goals before Wheeler converted a free-position attempt with 1:14 remaining in the quarter.

Rivier cut into the deficit early in the second, as sophomore Keegan McGaheran finished a feed from junior Sofia Cebrero at 12:27 to make it a one-goal game. Lasell responded with a pair of goals before sophomore Ashlynn Ledoux and Cebrero teamed up for a woman-up tally, trimming the margin to 6-4. The Lasers closed the half with three goals in the final five minutes to take a 9-4 lead into the break.

Lasell carried its momentum into the third quarter, scoring just 41 seconds into the half. Young answered with her second goal of the day on a woman-up free-position attempt, and McGaheran later set up first-year Chloe Waldron for another woman-up score to cut the deficit to four. Lasell added the final goal of the quarter at 7:07, extending its lead to 11-6 heading into the fourth.

Rivier opened the fourth quarter with consecutive goals from Ledoux and sophomore Brooke Carter, with Carter converting on a free-position attempt. Lily Hunt restored Lasell’s four-goal advantage, but Ledoux answered just 32 seconds later with an unassisted goal to make it a three-goal game. The Lasers controlled the final stretch, scoring twice in the last five minutes to secure the victory.

Cebrero and juniors Madelyn Poulton, Alysha Hok, and Shaelyn Burke each recorded a team-high two ground balls while Wheeler posted a team-best two draw controls. Burke added a team-high five caused turnovers, with Hok close behind with four and first-year goalkeeper Arrianna Imbriano made four stops in the outing.

The Raiders return to action Wednesday for a GNAC matchup at Mitchell. The opening draw is set for 3 p.m. at Alumni Field.

(Telegraph Staff Writer Tom King contributed to this report.)