SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts The College of Saint Rose used a strong first quarter to push past the American International College men's lacrosse team to an 18-9 Northeast-10 Conference result on Wednesday, March 31.

FAST FACTS:
Score: Saint Rose 18, AIC 9
Records: Saint Rose rises to 1-2, while AIC falls to 0-3; both teams have the same record in the NE10.
Location: Ronald J. Abdow Field, Springfield, Massachusetts

KEY STATS:
Saint Rose:
Gabriel Nish: Five goals
Greg Walsh: Five assists
Eddie Baker: Four goals
Jack Pemrick: Three goals
Ryan Fleming: Win (1-2), 14 saves on 19 shots in 45:00

AIC:
Rusty Stone: Four goals, three ground balls
Jason Vickery: One goal, one assist, six ground balls
Cam Menard: Two goals
Sal Amaral: One goal, six ground balls, two caused turnovers
Eddie Beattie: Six caused turnovers, five ground balls
Ryan Day: Loss (0-3), two saves on nine shots in 30:00

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The Golden Knights scored six times in the first, with five different players hitting the net; Eddie Baker, who opened the scoring at 2:21, was the lone player to strike twice. Greg Walsh set up goals by Sam Giachinta and Cam Smith as part of the run.
• AIC's defense settled in in the second frame, which went seven minutes before either team scored; it was redshirt sophomore Rusty Stone who put AIC on the board at 7:02, set up by freshman Tyler Shrewsbury, and Stone added another at 11:19 from redshirt sophomore Jason Vickery. However, Jack Pemrick responded 29 seconds later, putting the Golden Knights ahead 7-2 at the break.
• Baker struck twice in the first 2:03 of the third, and Jordyn Marchiano added a tally at 3:27 to boost the Golden Knights' lead before Shrewsbury answered at 4:17. The visitors added to their totals, but so did the hosts, as redshirt senior Cam Menard tallied on a pass from classmate Matt Quinlan at 10:55, and Stone completed a hat trick with just one second left on the clock on a dazzling individual effort, bringing the score to 13-5 at the final break.
• Out of the stoppage, Menard buried another one from Quinlan just 0:29 into the frame, but the Golden Knights countered with a trio of goals in a 2:00 span. Vickery, Stone, and redshirt sophomore Sal Amaral all hit the target in the final frame, but the Golden Knights kept their distance in securing an 18-9 victory.

A RUSTY KEY:

• Stone's quartet of goals puts him at a team-best six on the season.
• The total matched his career high, set last season on February 25, 2020 against Dominican College.

NEXT UP:

• AIC is slated to be visited by the Le Moyne Dolphins on Saturday, April 3 at 6:00 p.m. for a Northeast-10 Conference matchup.