WHEN AND WHERE: February 16, 2019 – Manchester, N.H. (Larkin Field) SCORE: Georgian Court University 12, Southern New Hampshire University 10 RECORDS: SNHU 0-1, GCU 1-0 Redshirt freshman Landon Goguen (Mattapoisett, Mass.) registered six points on a hat trick and three assists in his first collegiate game, but Georgian Court University found the back of the net nine times in the first half en route to a 12-10 victory over Southern New Hampshire University men's lacrosse team in the season opener for both teams. STANDOUT PERFORMERS Goguen led all scorers with six points and raked in a team-high five ground balls. Senior Tom Schutz (Trumbull, Conn.) tallied a hat trick and added an assist for four points. Sophomore Stephen Dubois (Goffstown, N.H.) also turned in a multi-point outing for the Penmen with a goal and an assist. The Lions were led up front by P.J. Saracino, who notched four points on three goals and a helper, while Ryder Verdoni potted three goals of his own. HOW IT HAPPENED Georgian Court stormed out to a three-goal lead in the opening eight minutes of the contest. Saracino set up Connor Houghton 4:09 into the first before he cashed in his first of the afternoon at 6:24. Brandon Razler capped the run with 7:12 remaining in the quarter after he tucked a shot just inside the crossbar. Schutz put the Penmen on the board late in the frame when he took a feed from Goguen in front, shook free from his defender and rifled a shot inside the near post to trim the deficit to a pair. Schutz struck again in the early stages of the second quarter when he blew past a defender on the left side and bounced home his second of the afternoon 2:16 into the stanza. The Lions answered with a pair of markers in the span of 40 seconds, as Saracino converted an extra-man opportunity at 3:44 and Patrick Quinn reestablished the three-goal cushion at 4:24. The back-and-forth affair continued with Southern New Hampshire striking for two more goals, as Goguen's first of the day came at 4:58 before senior Joseph Mayernik (Pearl River, N.Y.) drew the hosts back within one 34 seconds later. Georgian Court effectively put the game out of reach in the final eight-plus minutes of the first half, as it closed the quarter with a four-goal burst to take a 9-4 lead into the intermission. Saracino completed his hat trick midway through the frame before Verdoni sandwiched a pair of goals around a Tanner Lee marker. The GCU run extended to six to start the third quarter with Verdoni depositing his third of the day 35 seconds into the half and Vincent Giunta collecting his first with 11:55 to go in the stanza, which ballooned the visitors' advantage to 11-4. Southern New Hampshire attempted to mount a comeback in the final stages of the third, as it netted three of the quarter's final four goals. Goguen's second at 3:48 stopped the surge and freshman Chris Valentine (Derry, N.H.) closed the gap back to five when he gathered a bouncing ball and whipped home the first of his career with just over two minutes remaining. Schutz's third of the afternoon capped the Penmen scoring in the third, and the teams went to the fourth with the score showing 12-7. Goguen attempted to carry the Penmen all the way back in the fourth, as he had a hand in each of Southern New Hampshire's three goals while the defense clamped down and blanked the Lions. Goguen set up Dubois at 5:10 and sophomore Cole Jacobsen (Dartmouth, Mass.) at 8:43, he capped the game's scoring with 3:13 left in regulation. INSIDE THE BOX SCORE Freshman Alex Sturgess (Derry, N.H.) stopped 13 of the 25 shots he faced in his first career outing. Junior Chris Petkewich (Leominster, Mass.) won 6-of-9 trips to the faceoff X, and the Penmen were 12-of-26 as a team over the duration of the contest. Southern New Hampshire outshot Georgian Court, 64-34, and put 38 of its shots on frame. The Lions were 1-for-3 with an extra man while the Penmen were unsuccessful in their one EMO. NOTES Southern New Hampshire was previously unbeaten in three all-time meetings with Georgian Court and outscored the Lions by a 48-24 margin. Schutz's hat trick was the fourth of his career and upped his career goal total to 35 in 30 appearances for SNHU. Jacobsen's goal was the 16th of his career in 15 games played. Mayernik's marker was the 20th of his career. WHAT'S NEXT Southern New Hampshire resumes play on Saturday, February 23 when it hosts Molloy College at noon.