PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Freshman Nolan Burke (Dudley, Mass.) set career highs with five goals and seven points and Plymouth State University used a big fourth quarter to rally past Castleton University, 13-9, in a Little East Conference (LEC) men's lacrosse game at Panther Field on Sunday afternoon.
 
With the win Plymouth State (3-4, 2-3 LEC) secures the fifth seed for the upcoming LEC Tournament. The Panthers will visit fourth-seeded Eastern Connecticut State University for a first-round matchup on Tuesday (May 4).
 
Castleton got out to an early lead with three goals in the first six minutes and the visitors held a 6-3 advantage after one. Plymouth State chipped away, tying the game at 7-7 in the third, but the Spartans scored late in the frame to take a one-goal lead into the final 15 minutes. PSU erupted for six goals in the frame, though, as the Panthers stormed back for the win.
 
Castleton falls to 0-11 (0-5 LEC) and, as the tournament's sixth seed, will travel to third-seeded Western Connecticut State University for its opening round game.
 
The Basics:

• Plymouth State 13, Castleton 9
  • Plymouth State (3-4, 2-3 LEC)
  • Castleton (0-11, 0-5 LEC)

Top Performers:

• Nolan Burke (5 goals, 2 assts, 2 ground balls)
• Mike Fleury (3 goals, 2 assts)
• Jack Bonazzoli (9 ground balls, 7 caused turnovers)

How it Happened:

• Castleton raced out to a 3-0 lead just six minutes into the game, but junior Riley Roy (Laconia, N.H.) and sophomore Mike Fleury (Lebanon, N.H.) each scored in a 36-second span to make it 3-2 with 3:08 left in the opening quarter.
• The Spartans got back-to-back goals. Fleury answered for PSU with one minute left, but Castleton fired a shot in the final second that snuck in to give the visitors a 6-3 lead.
• Burke scored his first two goals of the day in a span of 1:21 to account for all the scoring in the second quarter as PSU went into halftime with a 6-5 deficit.
• Castleton pushed the lead to 7-5 in the opening minute, but Burke poured in two more goals to square the game at 7-7 at the midpoint of the third.
• The Spartans went back in front with 4:26 left in the quarter, but PSU strung together five-straight goals to open the fourth quarter and take the lead for good.
• Fleury tied the game at 8-8, before junior Mike Donnelly (New Hampton, N.H.) gave Plymouth State the lead. Burke picked up his fifth of the day before Donnelly added consecutive scores for a 12-8 lead.
• Castleton attempted to rally with just under five minutes remaining, cutting the margin to 12-9, but Roy capped the scoring with an insurance goal and PSU would hold on for the win.

By the Numbers:

• Plymouth State held a 49-30 advantage in shots and went 21-of-22 in clears.
• Castleton was successful on 17-of-20 clear attempts.
• The Spartans held a slight edge in ground balls (26-24).
• PSU took advantage of its man-up opportunities, scoring on 4-of-9 chances.
• Freshman Jack Bonazzoli (Clinton, Mass.) had a big day defensively, posting game-highs of nine ground balls and seven caused turnovers.
• Senior Robert Porter (Groveland, Mass.) made nine saves and picked up three ground balls to improve to 3-4.

Up Next:

• Fifth-seeded Plymouth State heads to fourth-seeded Eastern Connecticut on Tuesday (May 4). Opening faceoff is set for 5:00 p.m.