THE BASICS:
 
- Score: No. 19 MIT 22, Wheaton College 7
 
- Records: MIT (10-0, 3-0 NEWMAC); Wheaton (8-4, 0-4 NEWMAC)
 
- Location: Norton, Mass. (Nordin Field)
 
- The Lead: Nationally-ranked No. 19 MIT scored a man-up goal 23 seconds into the game and never looked back as it cruised to a 22-7 victory over Wheaton College in a NEWMAC men's lacrosse game on Saturday afternoon. Sophomore Heath Nilsen (Carlsbad, Calif.) posted five goals and two assists while graduate student Ryan Gebhardt (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) generated seven goals.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
- First-year Ethan Robertson (Wheatley Heights, N.Y.) found Nilsen for the opening goal of the game, setting off a 5-0 run. Wheaton got on the scoreboard at the 5:49 mark but MIT put together a 3-1 spurt to close out the quarter. Nilsen recorded four goals and an assist during the opening 15 minutes while Gebhardt registered a hat trick.
 
- Nilsen and Gebhardt continued their scoring spree in the second stanza, increasing the Engineers' lead to 10-2. The Lyons found the back of the net with 9:01 on the clock, however, first-year Matthew Sardis (Bernardsville, N.J.) won the ensuing faceoff and immediately set up Gebhardt. Junior Tory Lentine (Flemington, N.J.) and senior Gavin Vandenberg (Elmhurst, Ill.) quickly followed with strikes of their own. Wheaton scored with just under four minutes remaining but sophomore Bennett Stankovits (Rumson, N.J.) set up first-year Dylan Nelson (Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.) just before halftime, resulting in a 14-4 advantage.
 
- The Engineers controlled the action in the third quarter as they outscored the Lyons, 6-1.
 
- The fourth quarter was a balanced affair as both teams scored twice, moving the score to 22-7.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
 
- Senior Liam Miller (Pasadena, Calif.) contributed two goals, two assists, and two caused turnovers as Sardis collected nine groundballs and won 19 of his 20 faceoff attempts. First-year Andrew Merrell (Monument, Colo.) was 10-of-13 on the faceoff "x" and posted five groundballs while sophomore Teague Rice (Suffern, N.Y.) notched five groundballs. Junior Teddy Corcoran (Harrison, N.Y.) contributed four groundballs as graduate student Eric Pence (Portland, Ore.) bolstered the defense with two caused turnovers.
 
- In net, senior Lukas Drexler-Bruce (Denver, Colo.) made three saves in the first half. Junior David Vapnek (San Diego, Calif.) turned away three shots in the third quarter while classmate Devin McCabe (New Castle, N.H.) closed out the game with two stops.
 
- MIT is currently ranked 19th in the Nike/USA Lacrosse Magazine Poll.

UP NEXT:
 
- MIT continues conference play when it hosts the U.S. Coast Guard Academy on Saturday, April 16 at 1:00 p.m.
 
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