DAVENPORT, Fla. (March 15, 2016) - The Western New England University men's lacrosse team rallied from a two-goal fourth quarter deficit to stun No. 4 nationally ranked Amherst College, 10-8, this evening in non-conference action at Northeast Regional Park.

The win marks Western New England's (3-1) second triumph over a team ranked in the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA)/Nike Division III Coaches' Poll in less than two weeks, as the Golden Bears notched a 9-8 victory at No. 12 Stevenson (Md.) on March 5. Amherst drops to 3-1 (2-0 NESCAC) with the loss, its first of the season.

Trailing 8-6 with less than six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, senior Jon Bota (Mahopac, N.Y.) scored on a feed from classmate Patrick Dillon (Baldwin, N.Y.) to cut Western New England's deficit to one. Senior Taylor Dubose (Altamont, N.Y.), who finished with a team-high four points (three goals, one assist), netted the equalizer on a strong move to the cage at the 4:15 mark, and junior Justin Bard (Westfield, N.Y.) fired in the goal that would stand as the game winner just 24 seconds later. Senior Stephen Gair (Putnam Valley, N.Y.) added an insurance tally with 1:11 remaining to clinch the marquee victory.

Western New England's defense locked down in the fourth quarter, shutting out Amherst over the final 11:17 of regulation. Sophomore goalie Steven Kerr (Hopkinton, Mass.) was spectacular in the cage, registering a career-high 22 saves, seven of which came in the final period.

Senior midfielder David Cedrone (Yantic, Conn.) also played a key role in helping the Golden Bears topple their fellow Pioneer Valley foe, getting the best of Amherst freshman Austin Park (Charlottesville, Va.) with a 12-9 edge in faceoff wins. Cedrone held a 5-3 advantage in the fourth quarter alone, giving Western New England the possessions it needed to make the rally possible.

Senior midfielder Dylan Park (Charlottesville, Va.) led the Amherst attack with a game-high four goals on 13 shots, while classmate Quinn Moroney (Manhasset, N.Y.) recorded three points (two goals, one assist) and senior Kane Haffey (Duxbury, Mass.) chipped in with two assists.

Junior goalie Cody Tranbarger (Louisville, Ky.) registered 16 saves on 26 Western New England shots, dropping to 3-1 with the loss.

The back-and-forth, physical first half featured just five goals, as the Golden Bears carried a 3-2 lead into the break. Dillon opened the scoring at the 6:07 mark of the first quarter, but Park tied things up early in the second period on a feed from Haffey. After Western New England reclaimed a 2-1 edge with 6:22 left in the half on senior James Kolesar's (Warwick, N.Y.) first of the season, Moroney levelled the score yet again at the 3:47 mark. Dubose's unassisted tally with 34 seconds remaining gave the Golden Bears one-goal edge at the half.

Haffey set up Park for the opening score of the third quarter 3:20 into the period, marking the game's third tie, but Western New England would answer just 17 seconds later when Bard intercepted a pass in front in the net and walked in for an easy goal. The Golden Bears then claimed their first two-score advantage of the night with 5:07 left in the third, as Dubose netted his second of the game.

Amherst seized the momentum late in the period, however, reeling off three straight goals to take a 6-5 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Senior Connor Crump (Ambler, Pa.) started the run with an unassisted score at the 2:24 mark, and Moroney's behind the back goal just over a minute later tied the game at 5. Amherst utilized a man-up opportunity to pull ahead for the first time with just 22 seconds remaining in the period on Park's third of the contest, and the senior would add another early in the fourth to extend Western New England's deficit to two (7-5). Each team tallied one goal over the next three minutes, as Amherst's lead remained at two until the late stages of the game.

Western New England returns to Northeast Regional Park on Saturday afternoon to take on St. Lawrence University, while Amherst looks to bounce back on Friday against Cortland State.