Lasell Defeated by Roger Williams in Season Opener

Newton, Mass.- Roger Williams University opened the 2009 men's lacrosse season with a 12-3 victory over Lasell College, on Saturday afternoon at Grellier Field.   Roger Williams was paced by a balance offensive attack, with the brunt of the scoring handled by Beaver Barone (Weymouth, Mass.) and Dave Hurley (Hanover, Mass.), who each connected on three goals, and added an assist.  

Dom Celeste (Juniper, FL) tallied the first goal of the day at 8:27, followed by Hurley's first good attempt, exactly three minutes later, giving the Hawks a 2-0 edge in the first quarter.  After two more second period connections by Joe Healy (Port Jefferson Station, NY ) and Hurley, the Hawks took a 4-0 lead going into the half.

After a fifth Roger Williams goal at 13:10 into the third, Lasell's Brandon Keith (Marston Mills, Mass.) answered quickly with the Lasers' first mark, and cut the deficit to 5-1.  The Lasers tried to build off that momentum but key saves from Roger Williams goalkeeper Tyler Roebuck (Montgomery, NY) kept the Lasers behind.  The Hawks scored again late in the 3rd, to go ahead further, yet Lasell's Chris Bulkley (Groton, Conn.)  fired in another goal, unassisted, at 3:33 to close the gap slightly.  The Lasers trailed 6-2 after 3 periods.

In the final stanza, Roger Williams took control.  They scored six straight goals and had a commanding 12-2 lead late in the game.  With under a minute to go Keith added his second goal of the game to close out the contest.

Lasell's goalkeeper Mike Kelliher (Weymouth, Mass.) had 12 saves and Roebuck finished with 15 saves and the win. 

Lasell will be back in action on Tuesday when they look to rebound against Tufts University on Grellier Field, at 3:30 p.m.