Western New England University (WNE) men's Lacrosse team emerged victorious at the CCC Men's Lacrosse Championship game held at Endicott College, after defeating the hosts 18-9. WNE, led by Dylan Hanley with eight points, held the lead from the first quarter through the end of the game, avenging their loss to the Gulls earlier in the season.
WNE got off to a quick start when Hanley opened scoring the first goal of the game just 56 seconds after the opening. However, Endicott quickly replied leveling the score at 1-1. The quarter saw WNE and Endicott continue to trade goals, until a late WNE goal put them up 5-4 at the end of the first quarter of play.
The second quarter saw WNE take control of the game, outscoring the Gulls 4-0. Thomas Labbe and Jack Houlden contributed two goals, with Mike Bannon and Zachary Mein scoring one apiece, giving WNE a 9-4 lead at halftime.
Endicott started the third quarter strong, grabbing four goals within the first five minutes to get within one of WNE. A crucial timeout would follow by WNE helping them regain control of the game and close out the third quarter on a 6-0 run. WNE would take a commanding 15-8 lead heading into the final quarter.
WNE's Jack Houlden and Mike Bannon scored two goals within 28 seconds of each other seemingly putting the game out of reach and sealing the victory for the Golden Bears. Bannon would go on to add another goal with under two minutes remaining, capping WNE's tenth overall championship in program history, including back-to-back championships.
Dylan Hanley finished with 8 points, scoring two goals to go along with six assists, while Mike Bannon, Zachary Mein, and Jack Houlden each had four goals apiece. Carter Randall made 16 saves for WNE.
With this victory, WNE avenges their regular season loss to the Gulls and secures the 2nd consecutive CCC Men's Lacrosse Championship title.
