VICTOR, N.Y. – Senior midfielder Nick Hauman and junior midfielders Sean Donaldson and Robbie Salit each had five-point performances to lead the St. John Fisher men's lacrosse team to an 18-12 victory over Ithaca College on Saturday at the Pinnacle Athletic Campus and Events Center. 

The Cardinals, receiving votes in the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Top-20, improved to 2-0. They have won six of their last seven games against Ithaca (0-1) since losing 18 of the first 19 games in the series, which began in 2002. 

Donaldson and Salit each scored three goals and tallied two assists, while Hauman racked up his five points, a career-high, on two goals and three helpers. Junior attacker Scott Bovard had four points on three goals and an assist, and freshman attacker Grady Swidersky had four points with two of each. 

Tim Rogers (four goals) and Brendan Occhino (one goal, three assists) each had four points for the Bombers. 

How It Happened

Bovard, Salit and Swidersky each found the back of the net twice as the Cardinals hammered the Bombers 10-1 in the opening quarter. Donaldson, Hauman, junior attacker Garrett Sutton and sophomore attacker Luke James scored a goal apiece. Hauman also had a pair of assists in the frame. 

Fisher and Ithaca traded goals in the second quarter, but the Cardinals maintained full control of the game and carried a nine‑goal lead into halftime.

Salit opened the period with his third goal of the day at 14:18, putting Fisher ahead 11–1. Ithaca scored less than a minute later on an unassisted strike from Occhino, but Fisher pushed the margin back to 10 when freshman midfielder Hayden Lauer scored off a feed from Sutton with 7:11 left.

Ithaca generated its best stretch of the half with back‑to‑back goals from Rogers and Ryan Connolly, cutting the deficit to 12–4. Fisher closed the quarter with a goal in the final seconds, as Donaldson scored off a pass from Salit with four ticks remaining on the clock to make it 13–4.

The Cardinals pushed their lead to 16-7 by the end of the third quarter, getting goals from Hauman, Bovard and Hodge while limiting the Bombers to two. Ithaca scored five times in the fourth quarter, with Rogers accounting for three of those tallies, but it wasn't enough to put pressure on Fisher down the stretch. 

Donaldson scored his third goal of the game in the final frame, while senior midfielder Lane Edinger had the other score for Fisher. 

Game Notes

• St. John Fisher senior goalkeeper Tyler Manning made 11 saves. 

• Salit matched his career high with five points. 

• Salit has tallied five points in each of Fisher's first two games. 

• Bovard has scored three goals in each of the Cardinals' first two games. 

• James scored his first collegiate goal. 

• Junior defender Ethan Hodge scored his first goal of the season and caused a turnover. 

• Freshman defender Jake Vernieri and sophomore defender/long-stick midfielder Owen Kross led Fisher with two caused turnovers apiece. 

• Freshman Jonah Vormwald went 13-of-19 on face-off attempts and scooped up a team-high five ground balls. 

Up Next

The Cardinals face St. Lawrence, ranked No. 13 in the USILA Top-20, at 2 p.m. next Saturday, Feb. 28.