THE BASICS:
 
- Score: No. 1 MIT 23, No. 3 Springfield College 11
 
- Records: MIT (16-0); Springfield (8-9)
 
- Location: Cambridge, Mass. (Roberts Field at Steinbrenner Stadium)
 
- The Lead: Nationally-ranked No 14 and top-seeded MIT outscored No. 3 seed Springfield College, 16-6, in the first half en route to a 23-11 victory in the NEWMAC Men's Lacrosse Championship on Saturday afternoon. The Engineers claimed their first conference title in program history and secured a spot in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. Graduate student Ryan Gebhardt (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) was named the Tournament Most Outstanding Player after compiling 13 goals and 3 assists throughout the week, including nine goals and three assists in the championship.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
- Springfield quickly built a 2-0 lead after back-to-back goals by Chris Santa Barbara following almost four minutes of action. Sparked by a blast from senior Gavin Vandenberg (Elmhurst, Ill.) right after the faceoff, MIT rattled off six straight goals, creating a 6-2 lead with just under six minutes left in the opening quarter. The Pride ended its scoring drought when Santa Barbara set up Alek Turi with 3:14 on the clock, however, Gebhardt completed the hat trick when he connected on a pass from Vandenberg.
 
- Like the first quarter, Springfield opened the second stanza with two early goals, narrowing the gap to 7-5 at the 13:14 mark. Mason Nocito found the back of the net after 44 seconds elapsed as Turi redirected a feed from Riley Burgmyer just over a minute later. This was as close as it would get as the Engineers went on a 9-1 run to enter halftime with a 16-6 advantage. Gebhardt recorded four goals and three assists during the burst while sophomore Heath Nilsen (Carlsbad, Calif.) accounted for two goals and two assists.
 
- The third period was a defensive battle as senior Lukas Drexler-Bruce (Denver, Colo.) made eight saves for MIT while Jack Hamilton turned away six shots for the Pride. The Engineers eventually ended the stalemate when senior Liam Miller (Pasadena, Calif.) connected on a pass from classmate Andy Shin (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) with 1:50 on the clock.
 
- The fourth quarter saw MIT put together a 6-2 run which moved the score to 23-8 with 3:09 left to play. Despite the deficit Springfield continued to attack as Joe Maimone, Patrick Watson, and Connor Roberts produced the final goals of the game.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
 
- Nilsen finished with two goals and three assists while Miller recorded a hat trick. Sophomore Bennett Stankovits (Rumson, N.J.) and junior Tory Lentine (Flemington, N.J.) both posted two goals and assist. Senior Ben Dwyer (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) generated five groundballs and five caused turnovers as junior Andrew Palleiko (Hopkinton, Mass.) collected six groundballs. Junior Teddy Corcoran (Harrison, N.Y.) notched three groundballs and two caused turnovers while first-year Matthew Sardis (Bernardsville, N.J.) won 20 of his 25 faceoff attempts and tallied 14 groundballs. Drexler-Bruce racked up 17 saves, three groundballs, and one caused turnover for the Engineers.
 
- Santa Barbara powered Springfield with three goals and two assists while Turi had a hat trick. Zac Shuette dished out three assists as Kyle McEniry totaled six groundballs and two caused turnovers. Roberts added four groundballs and two caused turnovers while Steven Betsch was 8-of-18 on the faceoff "x" and picked up four groundballs. In net, Dean Pesce made six saves in the first half as Hamilton turned away eight shots.
 
- This was the third time this season Gebhardt scored nine goals, which ties the program record for goals in a game. It was also the second time he had 12 points, also tying the program record for points in a game.
 
- This was MIT's first postseason win over Springfield as the Pride won the previous six meetings, all of which have occurred in the semifinals of the conference tournament.
 
- The Engineers will be making their second appearance in the NCAA Tournament. MIT fell to Hobart College, 37-1, in the first round in 1980.
 
- MIT is currently ranked 14^th in the USILA/Dynamic Coaches Poll, 19^th in the Inside Lacrosse Poll, and 12^th in the Nike/USA Lacrosse Magazine Poll.
 
UP NEXT:
 
- MIT will learn about the location and its opponent in the NCAA Tournament during the selection show on Sunday, May 8 at 9:00 p.m. on NCAA.com.
 
STAY CONNECTED:
 
- For the latest on MIT Athletics, follow the Engineers via social media on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.