SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – Junior Peter Kip led all players with four goals and senior Peter Burnes recorded a game-high six points to lead the #5/7 Union College men's lacrosse team to a 13-6 victory over Endicott College in the team's 2023 home opener on Wednesday afternoon at Frank Bailey Field at Bertagna-Class of 1985 Stadium.
 
After going without a goal in the season-opener, Kip responded with the best offensive output of his career, scoring four times on nine shots. Burnes continued to be a playmaker for Union (2-0), recording three assists in addition to scoring his first three goals of the season. Junior Jake Mabardy had another good outing with two goals and two helpers, while classmate Zach Davis scored twice as well for the home team.
 
Max Kesicki led Endicott (2-1) with two goals, while Cam Fernandez recorded a pair of assists.
 
The first quarter saw only two goals scored, both coming from the home team. After an offsides penalty on Union's first offensive possession, the Garnet capitalized thanks to a Mabardy man-up goal 1:53 into the game. Burnes found the net from senior Jake Titus less than two minutes later to double the lead. Endicott had several quality chances and outshot Union 12-10 in the opening frame, but junior Dan Donahue came up big with six saves to keep his team ahead.
 
Union came back with the first three goals of the second stanza to take a 5-0 advantage. Kip converted on the team's second man-up chance of the game 2:05 into the frame and added another soon after, and then Burnes found the net for the second time less than a minute later to increase the lead. After a pair of Endicott tallies, Davis scored on another man-up chance to make the score 6-2 at the half.
 
Union scored three times on four man-up situations in the half, while the home team spent nearly five minutes man-down in the opening 30 minutes and held the Gulls to one man-up goal on five chances.
 
Endicott scored the first two goals of the third quarter to get back within two at 6-4, but Union came back with two goals in 19 seconds from Davis and Burnes to reassert control. The goals started a string of seven straight Union tallies spanning the remainder of the third frame and into the fourth, including a dagger by junior Justin Greene just before the third-quarter horn and the second of the year from sophomore Matt Blasi that ended the run with 12:51 remaining in the contest.
 
The defensive unit limited the Gulls to just one shot on goal in a scoreless fourth frame to secure the win. Senior Clint Gourdeau had another good game leading the defensive effort with three caused turnovers and two ground balls, while first-year John Sula added four ground balls and a caused turnover as well.
 
At the faceoff X, junior Matthew Paolatto and sophomore Luke McHugh combined to win 10-of-20 draws, with Paolatto grabbing a team-high six ground balls. In goal, Donahue came up with several huge stops in the opening frame to keep Union ahead and finished with 14 saves.
 
Union is slated to return to action on Saturday with a 1 p.m. matchup against Springfield College in Schenectady.