NASHUA, N.H. – Junior
Aiden Renner (Phillipsburg, N.J.) tallied two goals and an assist and won 8-of-13 faceoffs, but Rivier University held Plymouth State University scoreless in the second half to hand the Panthers an 8-5 setback in a non-conference men's lacrosse game at Joanne Merrill Field on Sunday afternoon.
Trailing 4-2 late in the second quarter, Renner's second goal of the afternoon ignited a 3-0 run that gave Plymouth State its first lead of the game. However, the Raiders answered with a man-up goal just before halftime to pull even.
Rivier took control in the second half, netting the lone goal of the third quarter before adding two more in the fourth to account for the final margin.
Plymouth State slips to 0-2, while the Raiders win open their season at 1-0.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 5, Rivier 8
- Plymouth State (0-2)
- Rivier (1-0)
How it Happened:
- Rivier opened the scoring midway through the first quarter.
- Junior Kevin Cougler (Dover, N.H.) tied the game with 7:06 left in the frame, but the Raiders responded with two goals in less than two minutes to take a 3-1 lead.
- Renner beat the Rivier goalie just before the quarter expired to make it 3-2 after one.
- The hosts pushed the margin to 4-2 four minutes into the second quarter.
- Renner scored again with 5:35 before halftime to spark the Panthers. Freshman Colby Walden (Londonderry, N.H.) tied the game two minutes later, and sophomore Blake McPherson (Windham, Maine) gave PSU a 5-4 edge with two minutes remaining in the half.
- The Raiders answered with the game's only man-up goal to send the teams into halftime tied at 5-5.
- Rivier scored the lone goal of the third quarter with 1:28 left in the period.
- The Raiders extended the lead to 7-5 seconds into the fourth quarter before sealing the win with a final goal with 3:39 remaining.
By the Numbers:
- Renner finished with two goals, an assist, eight faceoff wins (8-of-13), and five ground balls.
- McPherson added a goal and an assist.
- Freshman Seamus Tattan (West Roxbury, Mass.) collected a team-high six ground balls.
- Sophomore Spencer Kennedy (East Lyme, Conn.) recorded four ground balls and three caused turnovers.
- Graduate goalie Ethan Schena (Methuen, Mass.) made 12 saves.
- Plymouth State held a 25-20 edge in shots.
- The Panthers were 15-of-18 on clears, while Rivier went 23-of-27.
- PSU won the ground ball battle, 31-27.
- The Panthers were 0-for-7 on extra man opportunities; Rivier finished 1-for-10.
- The game marked just the second meeting between the two programs. PSU earned a 9-8 win during the 2024 season.
Up Next:
- Plymouth State heads to the University of New England next Sunday (Mar. 1) for a 1 p.m. game.
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