POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – Sophomore Archie McEvoy tied for the game high with four goals to lead the #15/17 Union College men's lacrosse team to a 14-9 victory over Vassar College in the regular-season finale on Saturday afternoon at Gordon Field.
 
With the win and Clarkson University's loss to Skidmore College, Union (10-5, 4-3 Liberty League) clinched the third seed in next week's Liberty League Tournament and will head across the river to battle Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in the conference semifinals on Friday in Troy.
 
McEvoy had a big game for the visitors, scoring three of Union's four first-half goals and then netting the eventual game-winning tally late in the third period. The four goals are a new career high for the sophomore and tied Vassar's Shane O'Hara for the game high.
 
Juniors Clayton Arcuri and Zach Davis and sophomore Matt Blasi all added two goals apiece for Union, while junior Jake Mabardy added a goal and an assist for a two-point effort. Junior Matthew Paolatto had another great game at the X by winning 20-of-26 faceoffs with nine ground balls, and classmate Dan Donahue led the defensive effort with 10 saves in goal.
 
Union controlled play for much of the opening frame, taking 12 shots to Vassar's four and posting an 11-5 edge in ground balls. After the defense forced turnovers on the home team's first two possessions, McEvoy opened the scoring 4:14 into the contest. Mabardy countered a Vassar goal with one of his own with 2:51 left to give the visitors a 2-1 lead after one frame.
 
Vassar scored three of the second stanza's first four goals to take its first lead of the game at 4-3, but junior Jack Thompson forced a turnover on the Brewers' next possession and McEvoy eventually converted a feed from Mabardy for his third of the day to even the score at four headed into halftime.
 
Union finally took control of the game in the third quarter, outscoring Vassar by a 6-1 margin. Blasi gave Union back the lead for good 4:28 into the frame, and Donahue made back-to-back stops on the next possession before junior Peter Kip came down the other way and scored to double the Union advantage. Goals by Arcuri and Blasi in quick succession made it an 8-4 lead and, after a Vassar tally, senior Jake Titus and McEvoy scored 30 seconds apart to build up a 10-5 lead after 45 minutes.
 
The Brewers made the game closer with the first three goals of the final frame, the last coming by Anderson Eads with 9:30 left to make it a 10-8 score. But Paolatto won the subsequent draw and Davis scored just 37 seconds later to increase the lead back up to three, and insurance tallies by Arcuri and junior Nolan Flood helped to put the game away.
 
Union finished the afternoon with a 50-33 shot advantage and also grabbed 44 ground balls to Vassar's 29 in addition to a 20-6 edge in faceoffs.
 
More information on and a full preview of Union's semifinal matchup with RPI will be available on UnionAthletics.com next week.