Box Score Lexington, Va.—Senior Tucker Spencer scored a career-high five goals, including four in the third period, as the Sacred Heart University men's lacrosse team cruised to an 18-8 victory over Virginia Military Institute in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) action on the road on Saturday afternoon. The Pioneers have won their third straight, improving to 3-0 in conference play.

Records:
Sacred Heart: 5-4, 3-0 MAAC
VMI: 4-4, 0-3 MAAC

Top Performers:
Tucker Spencer: 5 goals
Morgan O'Reilly: 3 goals
James Moran: 2 goals
Jake Ward: 1 goal, 2 assists
Carson Spooner: 1 goal, 2 assists
Alex Pazienza: 12 saves
Luke Romanek: 19 face-off wins  

Of Note:
VMI got on the board first in the opening two minutes of the game, but Morgan O'Reilly got the scoring started for the Pioneers with his first of the day at 6:57 as SHU tallied three straight goals in two minutes to take a 3-1 lead. The Keydets were able to score back-to-back goals to have a 3-3 tie after the first quarter of play.

Michael Moreschi and Spencer scored two straight for Sacred Heart to give the Pioneers a 5-3 edge early in the second frame. VMI added one more in the second, but O'Reilly scored two more to complete the first-half hat trick. Carson Spooner and James Moran each added a tally as the Pios led 9-4 at the halftime break.

The third period was highlighted by Spencer, as he scored four of his five goals in the frame, giving SHU a 15-8 lead going into the fourth.

Sacred Heart was able to hold off VMI in the final quarter, shutting out an opponent in the final frame for the second straight week. Johnny Morgan, John Murray, and Cayden Brodnax scored the last three goals for the Pioneers for the 18-8 final.

Luke Romanek won 19 of 28 face-offs and collected a team-high 11 ground balls. Senior goalie Alex Pazienza made 12 stops in the cage and grabbed four ground balls in the win. Sacred Heart outshot VMI 53-32.

Up Next:
Sacred Heart will return home on Wednesday, March 27, for a mid-week evening conference showdown against Marist on Campus Field at 7:00 pm.