GORHAM, Maine – Junior Riley Roy (Laconia, N.H.) notched four goals and two assists and Plymouth State University held off a late comeback bid to top the University of Southern Maine, 11-10, In a Little East Conference (LEC) men's lacrosse game at Hannaford Field on Wednesday evening.
 
With PSU leading 11-7 and 13 minutes remaining, the Huskies rallied for three straight goals to close the gap to 11-10 with 7:12 to play. PSU had an opportunity to extend the lead during a 6-on-4 man-up situation but was unable to capitalize, but the Panthers' defense killed off a pair of 30 second penalties and senior Robert Porter (Groveland, Mass.) made a key save to preserve the win.
 
Plymouth State improves to 2-2 (1-1 LEC), while the Huskies fall to 1-6 (0-4 LEC).
 
The Basics:

• Plymouth State 11, Southern Maine 10
  • Plymouth State (2-2, 1-1 LEC)
  • Southern Maine (1-6, 0-4 LEC)

Top Performers:

• Riley Roy (4 goals, 2 asts)
• Nolan Burke (2 goals, 2 asts)
• Robert Porter (8 saves)

How it Happened:

• USM scored in the opening minute, but Roy answered with two straight and freshman Nolan Burke (Dudley, Mass.) and junior Mike Donnelly (New Hampton, N.H.) added goals as the Panthers went in front, 4-1.
• Back-to-back goals for Southern Maine pulled the hosts to within one, 4-3, at the end of the first quarter.
• USM added two more tallies to take the lead five minutes into the second, but Donnelly responded for PSU with 5:41 left in the half and sophomore Mike Fleury (Lebanon, N.H.) put the Panthers back in front, 6-5, at the intermission.
• Fleury's second of the night extended the PSU advantage 5:25 into the third quarter, but USM cut the deficit to 7-6 just over three minutes later.
• Burke, junior Mark Iamele (Georgetown, Mass.) and Roy each found the back of the cage in a two-minute span as the Panthers took control, 10-6.
• The Huskies added a goal in the final 30 seconds of the quarter, but Roy notched his fourth of the game early in the fourth quarter to restore the four-goal lead (11-7).
• Southern Maine mounted a furious comeback bid sparked by a pair of goals just 29 seconds apart and the hosts pulled to within 11-10 with 7:12 left on the clock.
• PSU was unable to pad the lead during a 6-on-4 opportunity, but the Panthers' defense held strong to stave off a pair of 30 second man-up chances for the Huskies and preserve the win.

By the Numbers:

• PSU held a 40-30 advantage in shots and was a near-perfect 23-of-24 in clear attempts.
• Southern Maine won the ground ball battle, 30-22, and took 18-of-24 faceoffs.
• Both teams were held scoreless during extra man opportunities. PSU went 0-for-6, while the Huskies were 0-for-7.
• Porter finished with eight saves in 55:03 of action, while freshman Owen McNichols (Manchester, N.H.) stopped three shots during 4:57 in net. Porter picked up the win to improve to 2-2.
• Plymouth State has won seven of the last ten meetings between the two teams.

Up Next:

• Plymouth State returns home to host Keene State on Saturday (Apr. 24) at 3:00 p.m.