Newburgh, N.Y. – The Mount Saint Mary College Men's Lacrosse team won its second straight game to open the 2016 season on Tuesday evening with a 17-2 non-conference victory over visiting Bard. The Knights, who have won the first two games of a season for the first time in program history, featured eight different goal scorers in Tuesday's win.
 
After falling behind 2-1 late in the first period on Tuesday, the Knights ripped off the final 16 goals of the game to close out the win. Nicholas Graziano (Franklin Square, N.Y.) evened the score at 2-2 with just over two minutes left in the first quarter and Sebastian Cina, Jr. (Colts Neck, N.J.) potted the eventual game winning goal with just over a minute remaining in the opening frame.
 
Mount Saint Mary scored at least four goals in each of the four periods of the contest and carried an 8-2 lead into halftime. Michael Romanik (Hicksville, N.Y.) and Kenneth Gallagher (Northport, N.Y.) each picked up a goal and an assist in the second quarter.
 
The Knights outshot Bard 20-9 over the first 30 minutes of the game and held a 25-12 edge in groundballs at the break.
 
Mount Saint Mary built its lead to 12-2 after three quarters, getting man-up goals from Dylan De Meo (Franklin Square, N.Y.) and Joseph Rizzotti (East Meadow, N.Y.) late in the period. The Mount closed out the win with five more goals in the fourth quarter, including man-up tallies from Rizzotti and Joseph Timmons (Staten Island, N.Y.).
 
The Mount dominated face-offs against Bard, winning 21 of the 23 draws taken. Brendan Nestola (Merrick, N.Y.) had a big day at the 'x', going 17-for-19. Timmons won three face-off and Steven Fabrizio (Geneva, N.Y.) won a single draw for the Knights.
 
De Meo and Danny Kugler (Wappingers Falls, N.Y.) led the offensive charge with four goals apiece, with Kugler and Tristan Earle (Millrift, Pa.) each assisting on a pair of goals. Romanik picked up three assists in the game and added a goal.
 
William Moss (Cold Spring, N.Y.) closed out the game with eight groundballs and an assist, while De Meo picked up six groundballs and Kugler scooped five. De Meo and Kyle Russo (Commack, N.Y.) rounded out the night with a pair of caused turnovers apiece.
 
Christopher Doerr (Pleasantville, N.Y.) picked up his second win of the season after stopping six shots and picking up four groundballs. A.J. Galletta (Commack, N.Y.) came on to make four saves in the fourth period for the Knights. Bard goalie, Troy Ludtka, finished with 12 saves for the Raptors.
 
Mount Saint Mary closed the game with a 45-30 advantage in shots, including a 29-12 edge in shots on goal, and a 54-25 advantage in groundballs. The Knights went 5-for-8 with the man advantage and 16-for-18 in clearing chances.
 
Tuesday's win pushes Mount Saint Mary to 2-0 overall on the season. The Knights will play their first road game of the season on Saturday when they travel to Johnson and Wales. Face-off with the Wildcats is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.