CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – A 4-1 run during the last 12 minutes of regulation powered the MIT men's lacrosse team to a 9-5 victory over the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth on Tuesday night. Senior Chris Cook (Tully, N.Y.) and freshman Graham Davis (Crofton, Md.) both paced the Engineers (7-2) with three points as Cook posted two goals and an assist while Davis registered one goal and two assists. Junior Bo Prozinski (Ashland, Mass.) led the way for the Corsairs (3-6) with two goals and an assist.

The first three quarters were a back-and-forth defensive battle as MIT held a 5-3 edge after 45 minutes of action. Junior Jonah Hessels (Laytonsville, Md.) put the Engineers on the board with 3:06 left in the first quarter as Cook increased the lead less than two minutes later. The Corsairs eventually broke through with 32 seconds to go when freshman Dan Johnson (Littleton, Mass.) connected on a feed from Prozinski.

UMass Dartmouth carried the momentum into the second stanza as junior Connor Gaffney (Andover, Mass.) buried the equalizer after 1:44 expired. The deadlock would hold until Davis put the hosts back in front, 3-2, at the 7:53 mark. The score remained unchanged through halftime but junior Alex Lucas (Brookfield, Mass.) ended the stalemate for the Corsairs by tying things up early in the third quarter. MIT responded with goals at 7:55 and 4:29 to create a 5-3 cushion. Sophomore Harris Stolzenberg (Weston, Fla.) redirected a pass from Cook while junior Paul Orrson (Baltimore, Md.) converted an extra-man opportunity.

Prozinski cut UMass Dartmouth's deficit in half (5-4) following 91 seconds of action in the final frame; however, strikes by Cook and freshman Mitch Turley (Westfield, Ind.) gave the Engineers some breathing room. Midway through the quarter, Prozinski found sophomore Austin Titus (Gloucester, Mass.) for his first goal of the season, narrowing the gap to 7-5. The visitors would get no closer as junior Luke Verdi (Middletown, Md.) scored on a pass from Davis with 3:16 remaining and then set up Hessels for the final marker of the night with 37 ticks left.

Freshman David Klee (East Greenbush, N.Y.) generated a game-high six groundballs and three caused turnovers for the Cardinal and Gray while sophomores Thomas Burns (Mount Sinai, N.Y.) and Zak Psaras (Monroe, Conn.) along with freshman Christian Jamison (Huntington, N.Y.) each collected three groundballs. Sophomore Cody Jacobucci (Woodstown, N.J.) went 7-of-13 in faceoffs as junior Eric Bartell (San Diego, Calif.) amassed 22 saves, including nine during the third quarter.

Freshman DJ Miller (Ashland, Mass.) paced the Corsairs with five groundballs, followed by three from senior Riley Baxter (Groton, Mass.) and freshman Sean Matthews (Wellesley, Mass.). Junior Dan Brown (Beverly, Mass.) won nine of his 15 faceoff attempts as sophomore Matt Lafond (Bridgewater, Mass.) collected 10 saves.

Both squads host conference opponents in their next outings on Saturday, April 4. MIT will square off with NEWMAC rival Babson College while UMass Dartmouth will take on Little East Conference foe Plymouth State University.