Men's Lacrosse Downs UNE in Conference Opener

BIDDEFORD, Maine – In their conference opener Wednesday night, the Wentworth Institute of Technology men's lacrosse team (8-2, 1-0 CCC) handled the University of New England (3-7, 0-1 CCC) 11-6, backed by hat tricks from both senior Drew Bouley (Gloucester, Mass.) and sophomore Colin Ocampo (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.), to extend their win streak to five games.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• After sophomore Shea Fogarty (Melrose, Mass.) gave the Nor'Easters a 1-0 edge just under four minutes in, the Leopards rattled off three straight goals in a span of 3:58, with two off the stick of Bouley, to give Wentworth a 3-1 lead by the 6:32 mark. Fogarty tallied once more to cut UNE's deficit to 3-2 before the end of the first frame.
• Wentworth extended their lead to 5-2 just 30 seconds apart in the second quarter as goals by Ocampo and sophomore Tyler Longo (Kingston, N.Y.) marked a 5-2 score by the 9:31 mark. UNE dwindled the deficit to two goals at the 5:37 mark before the Black & Gold regained their three-goal cushion with 1:11 left before the break, marking a 6-3 score.
• The Leopards extended their lead to 8-3 by the 9:36 mark of the third frame as tallies both with the man-advantage by Bouley and junior Kobi Buffa (Craryville, N.Y.) bolstered the score. Two goals for the hosts cut their deficit to 8-5 by the 3:36 mark, but one final score by the Leopards with 52 seconds left in the quarter marked a 9-5 score.
• Ocampo scored twice in the fourth quarter, with a goal each at the 12:56 and 11:31 marks, respectively, to push Wentworth's lead to 11-5. UNE scored once more with 2:35 to go, but the Leopards would hold on for an 11-6 conference opening-win.
• Junior Tom Gardner (West Windsor, N.J.) made five saves in goal en route to the Leopards' fifth straight win while senior Connor Charron (Tewksbury, Mass.) was nearly perfect at the X, going 17-for-18 with 14 ground balls.

SERIES NOTES:

• Winners of four straight, Wentworth leads the all-time series, 20-7.

NEXT UP:

• The Leopards host reigning CCC champion Western New England on Saturday afternoon.

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