HAMDEN, Conn – On a chilly February day, the Quinnipiac men’s lacrosse team routed the visiting UMass Lowell River Hawks 21-12 Saturday afternoon. The showing was the first time the Bobcats scored more than 20 points since 2010.

“It wasn’t one man, they were sharing the ball,” Quinnipiac head coach Mason Poli said. “The boys were playing with tempo … We’re just trying to create space for our athletes.”

The Bobcats came out of the gate firing, as they maintained possession handedly for the first five minutes. After a few attempts fluttering at the goalmouth, Quinnipiac began to flip the switch.

Goals from attackmen junior Dylan Donnery, senior Jake Tellers and freshman Justin Robbert gave the hosts a 3-0 lead before some spectators were even able to file into their seats. Robbert’s goal, his first of his career, forced UMass Lowell to take a timeout.

“He’s really stepped up, his presence down there at attack for us,” Poli said. “For your first collegiate game … he’s never too high, never too low.”

Both sides exchanged multiple goals to close out the quarter and after 15 minutes, the Bobcats led 5-2. 

That scoring barrage from the first quarter didn’t extend into the second, as both sides were locked down defensively. That was until Quinnipiac senior attackman John DeLucia fired a behind-the-back shot past UMass Lowell freshman goaltender Luke Renaud.

Then the floodgates opened.

A hat trick from junior attackman Trey Gehen, along with two scores each from Donnery and junior midfielder Steven Germain helped extend Quinnipiac’s lead. Tack on a goal by junior midfielder Evan Perry and the Bobcats went into half with a 10-goal lead. 

The second half began just how the first half ended: with goals. Robbert tacked on two more points, Gehen completed his hat trick and freshman long stick midfielder Ryan Downing found twine as the Bobcats continued to apply offensive pressure.

“Ryan Downing (is) logging some big minutes for us as an LSM, so we’re excited,” Poli said. “We got a lot of depth and a lot of competition on this roster.”

Despite three quick goals by UMass Lowell graduate student midfielder Sean Parker and sophomore attackman Khairi Spears, Quinnipiac’s lead was just too much for the visiting River Hawks.

“Lacrosse is definitely a game of momentum,” Poli said. “It just starts with energy, especially when you build yourself a lead like that. Luckily, we refocused there.”

The Bobcats were able to refocus with the help of their netminder. Graduate student Nick DiMuccio recorded a number of big saves throughout the game, keeping the UMass Lowell offense at bay.

Neither team gained a strong foothold in the fourth quarter.. The opposing sides began trading goals and there were no real momentum swings. After a timeout by the River Hawks coaching staff, a late score by Parker made the scoreboard seem closer than it was as the final horn sounded. 

The Bobcats will now look to carry this hot start into next week’s matchup on the road with Brown. The game is scheduled for Feb. 18, with a 1 p.m. start.