Tavares Scores 9, Helping Men’s Lacrosse Soar by the Blue Jays

NASHUA, NH: Rivier men's lacrosse won against the University of Saint Joseph this afternoon in conference play on Joanne Merrill Field.   

THE BASICS:

- Date: 4/1/23

- Score: Rivier 20, USJ 12

- Records: Rivier (7-2, 3-1 GNAC), USJ (5-6, 1-3 GNAC)

HOW IT HAPPENED:

- Nicholas Tavares (Danvers, MA) set a program record today putting away nine goals and leading the Raiders to a victory.

- The Blue Jays won the first quarter 5-4, going shot for shot with Rivier. USJ's Evan Baden scored two goals one on a man up opportunity, Nick Pestrichello also put away two goals, and Freeman Johnson with the final goal of the quarter. Raiders' Michael Ference (Salem, NH) knocked in one goal and Tavares took care of the other three in the quarter, one on a man up advantage.

- In the second quarter, Rivier outscored the Blue Jays 9-2. Rivier goals were earned by Tavares with another three, Ference and Alan Cozzolino (Hamden, CT) each with two, Connor Eck (Franklin, MA) on the man up with one, and Chris Heitmiller (Nashua, NH) contributed with a goal. USJ's goals were buried by Christian Decker and Pestrichello.

- The Blue Jays chipped away in the third quarter, scoring three. Matt Crisco, Pestrichello, and Decker on a man up opportunity were credited with those goals. Tavares rocketed in two, putting the Raiders ahead by five.

- The Raiders closed out the game with five more goals in the fourth quarter. Jeffery Potter (North Bennington, VT) put away two goals, the first on a man up advantage, Sean Callinan (Shelton, CT), Eck, and Tavares each shoved in one apiece. USJ was only able to sneak two goals by Rivier in the fourth, the first from Pestrichello on a man up opportunity and the final from Evan Zimnoch at 8:11 on the clock.

- Raiders' Sawyer Gagnon (Gorham, ME) was tagged with the win saving 12 shots. Trey McCann made 10 saves for the Blue Jays in net today.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

- Shots: USJ 43, Rivier 40

- Ground Balls: USJ 32, Rivier 27

- Penalties: Rivier 6 minutes on 8 infractions, USJ 4 minutes 30 seconds on 6 infractions

UP NEXT:

- Rivier men's lacrosse will be back in action this Tuesday, April 4^th at 7:00 PM on Joanne Merrill Field.

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