Huskies Host UMaine Farmington on Wednesday (3:30 p.m.)

            GORHAM, Maine -- The University of New England got goals from five different players in the third quarter to bust open a close game and went on to a 13-5 victory over the University of Southern Maine in non-conference men's lacrosse action Saturday at Hannaford Field.

            With the victory, the Nor'easters snapped a two-game losing streak to improve to 4-3 overall.  The Huskies fell for the first time this season and now stand at 2-1.

            UNE scored twice in the latter stages of the second quarter to take a 5-4 advantage into the halftime intermission.  It would be all Nor'easters on the second half as they scored eight unanswered goals to expand their lead to 13-4.

            Five-plus minutes into the third period, senior Shamus Higginbottom (New Milford, Conn.) scored a man-up goal with 9:36 to go, converting a pass from junior Sam Cloutier (Lewiston, Maine) to open the flood gates.  Sophomore Andrew Curro (Niskayuna, N.Y.) added an unassisted goal 57 seconds later, and classmate David Rubenstein (Somers, N.Y.) tallied a third marker at 7:19.

            Sophomore Don Auger (Nashua, N.H./Nashua South) and Cloutier scored 26 seconds apart late in the quarter to give the visitors a 10-4 edge after three quarters.  Auger's goal came as the Nor'easters enjoyed a man-up situation.

            The goals kept coming for UNE in the final quarter as sophomore Connor Leggett (Sunderland, Vt.), Rubenstein and rookie Tom Luttrell (Greenbrae, Calif.) all found the net.

            Freshman Nate DelGiudice (Oakland, Maine/Messalonskee) finally snapped the run of UNE goals for USM with 7:46 to play, but that would be the final score of the game.

            Southern Maine enjoyed a 4-3 lead early in the second quarter as junior Austin Watts (Westbrook, Maine) and senior Burleigh Desjardins (Brunswick, Maine) scored two minutes apart.

            Sophomore J.T. Oliver (Damascus, Md.) tied the game for UNE at 8:33, and Rubenstein gave the Nor'easters the lead for good with 4:17 to play in the half.

            Rubenstein led all scorers with four points on three goals and an assist.  Cloutier and Higginbottom finished up with two goals and one assist apiece, while Oliver and Auger each had a goal and an assist.  Sophomore goalie David Pearson (Scarborough, Maine) picked up the win stopping 11 shots.

            Watts was the lone repeat goal scorer for the Huskies notching a pair of goals.  Junior Jaymz McStowe (Plymouth, Mass.) had two points on a goal and one assist.  Rookie goalie Zach Bessette (Readfield, Maine/Maranacook) had eight saves over 50:39 while classmate John Bossi (Billerica, Mass.) recorded one stop over the final 9:21.

            Southern Maine will host the University of Maine at Farmington at Hannaford Field on Wednesday (3:30 p.m.) in a rescheduled game.  UNE will face Wentworth Institute of Technology at home on Wednesday (4:00 p.m.) for its Commonwealth Coast Conference opener. 

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