GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Aquinas seized control in the opening quarter and never let Lawrence Tech climb back Wednesday night, handing the Blue Devils a 19-7 setback in a Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference men's lacrosse matchup on March 25. The decisive stretch came early, when Aquinas scored six times in the first quarter and pushed the margin to 12-2 by halftime.

Lawrence Tech got on the board at the 9:31 mark of the first quarter when Trevor Donohue scored off an assist from Luke Gannon, trimming the deficit to 3-1. But Aquinas answered with continued pressure and a man-up goal from Braeden Williams with 1:29 left in the quarter, part of a six-goal opening burst. The Saints added six more goals in the second quarter, including another man-up finish by Collin Wildman at 11:08 and a late goal from Williams with 46 seconds remaining, to take firm control into the break.

The Blue Devils showed more life offensively after halftime. Lawrence Tech scored three times in the third quarter and added two more in the fourth, with Max Viviano scoring in the second and fourth quarters. Brendan Shinavier found the net with 56 seconds left in the third, and Wyatt Salenbien added the final Blue Devils goal with 2:55 remaining in the fourth. Lawrence Tech finished with seven goals and three assists on 26 shots, putting 12 attempts on frame.

Dylan Porter kept Lawrence Tech in the fight as long as possible, piling up 22 saves while facing a heavy Aquinas attack that produced 74 shots and 41 shots on goal. The Blue Devils also held their own at the faceoff stripe, winning 12 draws compared with 16 for Aquinas, and finished with 32 ground balls. Lawrence Tech converted once on the extra-man opportunity and went 16 for 16 on clears.

Aquinas' top scorers drove the result. Mitchell Pridgeon led the Saints with four goals and an assist, Braeden Williams had three goals and three assists, and Collin Wildman added three goals and two assists. Ian Wright also scored three times for Aquinas, which built its lead to 18-2 midway through the third quarter before Lawrence Tech found a steadier finish over the closing minutes.

Lawrence Tech was outscored 6-1 in the first quarter, 6-1 in the second, 7-3 in the third and 0-2 in the fourth at a match officiated by Kennadie Minerich in front of 92 spectators. Even after the early deficit, the Blue Devils continued to press late, getting fourth-quarter goals from Viviano and Salenbien to account for the 19-7 final.The Blue Devils will look to bounce back this Saturday as they travel to Fort Wayne, Indiana as they continue WHAC play against #7 Indiana Tech University on the road.