NORTON, Mass. — The Roger William University men's lacrosse team defeated Wheaton on Wednesday evening, 12-8, in non-conference action at Nordin Field.
 
The Hawks' leading goal scorer was Kevin Murphy (Ramsey, N.J.) who tallied four goals in the matchup, while picking up three ground balls and forcing a pair of tunrovers. Ryan Vendetti (Farmington, Conn.) and Matt Halpin (Hanover, Mass.) both had three goals and an assist in the matchup for a total of four points, while Noah Ravas (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) also had a goal and assist.
 
In net, the Hawks looked to goalkeeper Max Kimmel (Milford, Conn.) who made 10 saves on the day allowing eight goals for a .556 save percentage.  Kimmel also had a ground ball on the day.
 
Roger Williams had 13 successful clears on the day out of their 18 attempts, while winning the ground ball battle, 39-25. The Hawks also had a 16-8 edge in faceoff attempts, and converted one extra man opportunity.
 
Wheaton came into the game with a 4-0 record, and took an early lead when Alden Leadley scored 2:29 into the contest.  Mike Mclaughlin scored another goal just under a minute later to give the Lyons a 2-0 lead. Vendetti closed out scoring in the opening quarter with a goal with 6:28 remaining to cut the deficit in half.
 
Brian Gazard scored 3:19 into the second quarter, after the Hawks forced a turnover on the Wheaton clear attempt.  After a ground ball by Pehrson Szuluk (Avon, Conn.), Gazard was able to score. Murphy added another goal 2:06 later for the Hawks to take their first lead of the game.
 
Back-to-back goals by Wheaton gave them the lead, before Vendetti scored his second goal of the game, leveling the matchup at 4-4. A goal by Halpin in the final minute of action gave Roger Williams a 5-4 lead heading into the break.
 
After each team scored in the opening 1:04, Murphy was on the receiving end of a pass from AJ DaRin (Manlius, N.Y.) , Murphy then scored to give the Hawks a 7-5 advantage. Another goal by Halpin gave Roger Williams an 8-6 lead with 5:31 remaining in the frame. The Hawks tacked on two more in the final 2:03 of play, leading 10-6 heading into the final quarter.
 
The two teams traded goals over the final 9:38 of play in the fourth quarter, with Roger Williams holding on for the win.

"This was a grind it out type of game. When we needed to make a play, our guys stepped up. We challenged out defense this week and they delivered, especially in the second half," said Head Coach Kevin Gould. "Murphy continues to be rock solid and opportunistic around the cage."
 
Roger Williams (2-1, 0-0 CCC) will take on Emerson on Saturday, Mar. 4 at 1 pm.  The Hawks will then play host to MIT on Wednesday, Mar. 8 at 4 pm on Bayside Field.