THE BASICS:
 
- Score: MIT 19, Springfield College 9
 
- Records: MIT (7-0, 2-0 NEWMAC); Springfield (3-5, 1-1 NEWMAC)
 
- Location: Springfield, Mass. (Stagg Field)
 
- The Lead: MIT outscored Springfield College, 14-2, during the second and third quarters, helping it pull away for a 19-9 NEWMAC men's lacrosse victory on Saturday. The win over the Pride was the first for the Engineers since 1980 and broke the program record for consecutive wins at the start of the season, eclipsing the mark of six set in 1962. Senior Gavin Vandenberg (Elmhurst, Ill.) powered MIT with six goals and two assists to go along with four groundballs.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
- Springfield generated four goals during the first eight minutes of the game. Vandenberg set up senior Liam Miller (Pasadena, Calif.) for the Engineers' first goal at the 4:04 mark and then he found the back of the net 17 seconds later. The Pride scored with six seconds remaining, resulting in a 5-2 lead at the end of the quarter.
 
- Miller kicked off the pivotal scoring run 2:27 into the second quarter as MIT rattled off five unanswered goals. Springfield cut its deficit in half (7-6) courtesy of a man-up goal with 4:40 on the clock. This was as close as it would get as the Engineers tacked on three more goals, entering halftime with a 10-6 advantage. Vandenberg posted three goals while graduate student Ryan Gebhardt (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) recorded one goal and two assists as MIT had an 8-1 scoring margin during the frame.
 
- The Engineers carried the momentum into the third quarter as they outscored the Pride, 6-1, increasing their lead to 16-7. Both Gebhardt and sophomore Jack McCordic (Medfield, Mass.) scored twice.
 
- Vandenberg, who scored late in the third quarter, was a factor in MIT's next two goals. He earned an assist on a strike by Miller at the 13:16 mark of the fourth quarter and then redirected a feed from McCordic over a minute later. Springfield netted two more goals, but sophomore Heath Nilsen (Carlsbad, Calif.) capped the scoring with nine seconds remaining, resulting in a 19-9 final.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
 
- Miller registered a hat trick while Gebhardt finished with three goals and two assists. Nilsen tallied two goals, one assist, three groundballs, and two caused turnovers as McCordic posted two goals and one assist.
 
- First-year Matthew Sardis (Bernardsville, N.J.) won 22 of his 30 faceoff attempts and collected 14 groundballs while junior Andrew Johnson (Dover, Mass.) recorded four groundballs and three caused turnovers. Senior Ben Dwyer (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) contributed four groundballs as classmate Lukas Drexler-Bruce (Denver, Colo.) made 15 saves.
 
UP NEXT:
 
- MIT will host local non-conference foe UMass Boston on Wednesday, March 30 at 7:00 p.m.
 
STAY CONNECTED:
 
- For the latest on MIT Athletics, follow the Engineers via social media on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
  Read Full Article