PORTLAND, Maine -- Sophomore Kyle Lersch (Suffolk, Va.) scored five goals and added a pair of assists for a career-high seven points to lead Massachusetts Maritime to a 14-8 non-league college men's lacrosse victory over Maine Maritime Saturday afternoon at Memorial Field.

The visiting Buccaneers (1-4) collected their first triumph of the young season by jumping out to a 3-0 advantage midway through the opening quarter in the lacrosse version of the Admiral's Cup, as Massachusetts Maritime netted seven of the nine tallies in the first 30 minutes of action, including a hat trick by Lersch and a pair of markers off the stick of fellow sophomore Will Doucette (Manchester, Mass.), to take a 7-2 advantage at the break. 

The host Mariners (0-2) closed back to within two by scoring three goals in the first 4:15 after intermission, the last coming on a man-up tally by sophomore Andrew DiSalvo (Glastonbury, Conn.), to make it 7-5, but the Buccaneers responded with three unanswered markers in just 53 seconds, including back-to-back goals by junior Craig Nichols (Marshfield, Mass.) and senior Connor Burke (Del Mar, Calif.) in a 10-second span, to regain a five-goal cushion. Maine Maritime scored three of the final five goals of the third stanza to creep back to within 12-8 heading into the final 15 minutes of play, but tallies off the sticks of Lersch and Doucette proved to be the lone goals of the quarter and enabled the Buccaneers to ice their triumph.

Burke added a hat trick and three assists to finish with six points in the win for Massachusetts Maritime, which also received a hat trick from Doucette as well as a goal and assist each from Nichols and fellow junior Ryan Linn (Bourne, Mass.). Freshman Kevin Flanigan (Sandwich, Mass.) notched his first collegiate goal in the victory for the Buccaneers, who also received the first career assist off the stick of fellow freshman Alex Katapodis (Wrentham, Mass.). 

DiSalvo recorded a pair of goals and three assists in the setback for Maine Maritime, which also received a pair of goals and an assist from junior Christopher Kelley (Holliston, Mass.) as well as a marker and two helpers off the stick of junior Toddy Murphy (Middlesex, Vt.). Junior Richard McKee (Plymouth, Mass.) added a goal and an assist for the Mariners, who also received single markers off the sticks of sophomore Ryan Williams (Cumberland, Maine) and freshman Tom Houle (Manchester, N.H.).

Senior James Hitchings (Dover, Mass.) picked up the win in goal for Massachusetts Maritime with a 16-save effort, while sophomore Kevin Boucher (Gorham, Maine) made 11 stops in the setback for Maine Maritime as the Mariners outshot the Buccaneers by a 42-41 margin, though the visitors held a 14-11 edge in face-offs and forced 28 turnovers for the match.

Massachusetts Maritime hosts Salem State in a non-league outing on Wednesday evening at Clean Harbors Stadium beginning at 7:00 p.m., while Maine Maritime hosts Husson in its North Atlantic Conference opener on Tuesday afternoon in Castine, Maine beginning at 3:00 p.m.