SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (March 26, 2016) - Juniors Justin Bard (Westfield, Mass.) and Keegan Dudeck (Longmeadow, Mass.) recorded five points each as the No. 19 nationally ranked Western New England University men's lacrosse team held off crosstown rival Springfield College for a 14-10 victory this afternoon in non-conference action at Stagg Field.

Springfield struck first, but the Golden Bears answered with a 3-0 run and never trailed after that point, improving to 4-2 this season with the victory.

Bard (four goals, one assist) and Dudeck (three goals, two assists) led a balanced Western New England offensive effort, while seniors Patrick Dillon (Baldwin, N.Y.) and Mike Jednak (Franklin, Mass.) scored three goals each and classmate Taylor Dubose (Altamont, N.Y.) added a goal and two assists.

Senior David Cedrone (Yantic, Conn.) dominated at the face-off X, going 24-of-28, while also collecting a team-high 17 ground balls. Sophomore Steven Kerr (Hopkinton, Mass.) earned the win in the cage, making eight saves on 18 shots.

Sophomore Dom Abate (Beverly, Mass.) paced the Pride (2-5) with four points (two goals, two assists), while classmate Tom Hurley (Goffstown, N.H.) dished out five assists and senior Dylan Sheehan (Massapequa, N.Y.) added two goals and an assist.

Senior Joey Raniolo (Yorktown, N.Y.) staked Springfield to a 1-0 lead 6:34 into the contest, but Western New England responded with goals from Bard, Dudeck and Jednak, claiming a 3-1 edge after one quarter.

The Pride were able to pull even at the 10:27 mark of the second quarter, as junior Brendan Dooley (South Setauket, N.Y.) found the back of the net just 30 seconds after Abate had cut Springfield's deficit to one. Jednak and Dudeck each netted their second of the game later in the quarter, however, as the Golden Bears carried a 5-3 lead into the break.

A back-and-forth third quarter saw Western New England extend its advantage to three (9-6), but Springfield was able to draw to within one (11-10) with 5:54 left in the game following consecutive goals by Sheehan. The Pride would get no closer, however, as Bard tallied two late goals and Dillon added one, pushing the final margin to four.

The Golden Bears held the edge in shots (41-37), shots on goal (23-18) and ground balls (35-15), while going a perfect 16-for-16 on clears and 3-for-6 in extra man opportunities.

Western New England faces its toughest test of the season this Tuesday, as No. 1 ranked Tufts University visits Golden Bear Stadium for a non-conference showdown scheduled for 4 p.m. Springfield is also back in action on Tuesday against No. 5 Amherst College.