THE BASICS:
 
- Score: MIT 22, Clark University 9
 
- Records: MIT (5-1, 1-0 NEWMAC); Clark (0-4, 1-0 NEWMAC)
 
- Location: Worcester, Mass. (Granger Field)
 
- The Lead: The MIT men's lacrosse team opened the game with seven straight goals before going on to defeat Clark University, 22-9, in NEWMAC action on Saturday. Graduate student Ryan Gebhardt (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) tallied six goals, two assists, three groundballs, and one caused turnover for the Engineers.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
- Gebhardt was a factor in three of MIT's first four goals as he scored twice and earned an assist on a strike by junior Heath Nilsen (Carlsbad, Calif.). After goals by first year Garrett Campagna (Lancaster, Pa.), senior Andrew Palleiko (Hopkinton, Mass.), and first year Zach Bleil (New Canaan, Conn.), Clark got on the board with 3:50 left in the quarter. Nilsen notched his second goal seven seconds later, but the Cougars buried a man-up goal, making the score 8-2 at the end of the opening frame.
 
- The Engineers put together a 4-1 run during the first half of the second quarter with Gebhardt producing three goals. Clark recorded back-to-back goals, including a man-up strike, however, junior Joe Lupo (Bedford, N.H.) found the back of the net to give MIT a 13-5 advantage heading into halftime.
 
- The third quarter was a scoreless affair until the Cougars broke through with a man-up goal at the 8:07 mark and then Gebhardt followed with an unassisted blast a minute later. Clark narrowed the gap to 14-7 with 3:37 left, but senior Tory Lentine (Flemington, N.J.) connected on a feed from Gebhardt 1:36 later.
 
- MIT controlled the action in the fourth quarter as it outscored the Cougars, 7-2. First year Bryce Metalios (Riverside, Conn.) provided the first two goals while sophomore Nick Stiles (New Canaan, Conn.) also scored twice.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
 
- The Engineers saw 17 players record at least one point.
 
- Nilsen finished with two goals and one assist as sophomore Matthew Sardis (Bernardsville, N.J.) won 18 of his 22 faceoff attempts and collected 16 groundballs. Palleiko and senior Andrew Johnson (Dover, Mass.) both contributed four groundballs while Palleiko added a caused turnover.
 
- In net, senior Devin McCabe (New Castle, N.H.) made 13 saves in 45 minutes while senior David Vapnek (San Diego, Calif.) closed out the game with two stops.
 
UP NEXT:
 
- MIT will host Hamilton College on Wednesday, March 22 at 6:00 p.m.
 
STAY CONNECTED:
 
- For the latest on MIT Athletics, follow the Engineers via social media on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
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