RINDGE, N.H. (March 6) – First year attacker Matt Caulfield (Fairfield, Conn.) scored three goals for the Nichols College men’s lacrosse team as the Bison dropped their season opener, 12-6, against Franklin Pierce at Sodexo Field Saturday afternoon. Nichols (0-1) will get right into The Commonwealth Coast Conference play Thursday, hosting Roger Williams at 7 p.m.
Franklin Pierce (1-0) received goals from eight different players and never trailed in the game en route to the team's first victory of the season. Brendan Cahill led the Ravens with two goals and two assists.
Tim Ahern (Boca Raton, Fla.) had a goal and an assist for the Bison, and Steve Delahanty (Auburn, N.H.) netted his first career goal.
The Ravens held a two-goal lead after the first quarter on a pair of goals scored less than five minutes apart late in the stanza. Matt Leslie put the Ravens on the board with 5:09 left before Pat Doliber netted a man-up goal with 29 ticks left on the clock.
Jeremy Lindauer (Fairport, N.Y.) cut the Ravens’ lead in half at 9:49 of the second, but another man-up goal from the Ravens, this time from Nate Wood, pushed the home team ahead by two at 7:36. Ahern answered back just over 30 seconds later, and the teams headed into halftime with Franklin Pierce up, 3-2.
The Ravens scored five goals in the third quarter, interrupted by Delahanty’s tally after four-straight, to lead, 8-3, headed into the final frame.
Franklin Pierce picked up where it left off, scoring the first four goals of the fourth quarter, the first coming from Wood on the man-up. Jimmy McInnis capped the Ravens’ scoring with a man-down goal at 8:11 for a 12-3 lead.
It was all Caulfield after that as the newcomer scored three goals in a span of 2:30, the first assisted by Ryan Pacific (Danbury, Conn.), the second by Ahern, and the final coming unassisted at 5:11 for the 12-6 final.
Shea Campbell made 16 saves for the Ravens, while Scott Gray (Annapolis, Md.) made 15 saves in the loss.
Nichols won the face-off battle, led by Tim Dooley (Tewksbury, Mass.), who won nine of 13 draws. The Ravens finished 3-for-12 with the extra attacker, while the Bison could not convert on four opportunities. Franklin Pierce held a 47-39 advantage in ground balls.
Nichols will host Roger Williams for a 7 p.m. TCCC game on Thursday, March 11th at Vendetti Field before spring break.
Box Score