WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. – The #9/13 Union College men's lacrosse team scored 12 straight goals and held #9/16 Williams College scoreless for nearly 30 minutes midway through the contest on the way to a dominant 14-6 victory in a battle of nationally ranked teams on Thursday night at Farley-Lamb Field.
 
Union College (4-0), ranked ninth in the Inside Lacrosse national rankings and 13th in the USILA poll, dominated Williams (1-1) in almost every aspect on Thursday. In a series that had seen each of the last five matchups decided by a single goal, the Dutchmen posted their largest win over the Ephs since 1937 by doubling up the Ephs 48-24 in shots, winning 21-of-24 faceoffs, and getting points by 13 different players.
 
Senior Peter Burnes led a well-balanced attack with two goals and two assists for a game-high four points. Classmates Hayden Frey and Keaton McCann added two goals and an assist each, while fellow seniors Brian Davis and Kieran McGovern as well as sophomore Matthew Paolatto chipped in a goal and an assist apiece.
 
Paolatto and senior Sam Byrne were absolutely dominant on the draws in helping Union to the win, with Byrne going a perfect 11-for-11 and Paolatto winning 10-of-13 faceoffs. The pair combined for 11 ground balls as well, while junior Jake Titus did an excellent job on the wing and finished with a game-high nine ground balls.
 
The game did not start well for the visitors, as Union struggled to get good looks at the net for much of the opening quarter and saw the Ephs jump out to an early 3-0 lead. But the Dutchmen came back with two goals in the final 1:43 of the period to get back within one. Junior Gray Humphrey made the extra pass in transition to find Burnes for a score and then Frey picked up a loose ball and went behind the back for a highlight-reel tally in the final minute.
 
Union took the momentum gained at the end of the first and carried it into the second stanza, scoring six unanswered goals to take an 8-3 lead into halftime. Davis sent a pass into the goal mouth for McCann to redirect home to start the run just 40 seconds in. Two goals in 24 seconds continued the drive, with Burnes making a run to goal for his second of the game before Frey found a wide-open McCann in transition for another put away with 11:10 on the clock.
 
Union again used its faceoff dominance to get quick offense soon after, as a goal by senior Jack Donahue was followed nine seconds later by a Frey score after Paolatto won the draw cleanly. Sophomore Zach Davis provided the sixth unanswered tally from McCann with 2:20 left, and sophomore Dan Donahue made several big stops down the stretch to preserve the advantage.
 
Byrne and Paolatto dominated for Union on draws in the opening half, as Byrne went 6-for-6 and Paolatto won 5-of-7 to keep the pressure on the Ephs defense. Union outshot Williams 25-13 and caused eight of the Ephs' 10 turnovers, with Donahue tacking on six saves.
 
Sophomore Peter Kip continued the run on Union's first possession of the third quarter, connecting on a long-range rocket. Junior Cole Hartman and McGovern kept the streak going before Paolatto won a faceoff and went to goal himself to increase the lead to nine with 4:31 on the clock. Bjorn Davidson finally ended Union's streak 13 seconds later, but Davis put an exclamation point on the quarter with his first of the game, making the score 13-4 in favor of the visitors after 45 minutes.
 
Williams opened the fourth frame with a pair of goals to get back within seven with 11:02 on the clock, but Byrne won a faceoff and the Dutchmen took nearly two minutes off the clock to halt the home team's momentum. The Union defense held firm the rest of the way by limiting the Ephs to just three shots, while sophomore Jake Mabardy capped off the win with a no-look, between-the-legs strike in the waning minutes.
 
Donahue had another stellar game between the pipes for Union, making 14 saves, while senior Matt Belluche (six ground balls, two caused turnovers) led an efficient and effective defensive unit that severely limited Williams' scoring chances for much of the evening.
 
Union will look to remain undefeated on Sunday, when the Dutchmen take on Plattsburgh State University in a game that was originally scheduled for Saturday. Opening faceoff is set for 2 p.m. at Frank Bailey Field at Bertagna-Class of 1985 Stadium.