PURCHASE, N.Y. - The Purchase men's lacrosse team pushed its unbeaten start to three games, as as the Panthers outlasted the Mariners of Mitchell College Saturday afternoon, 8-6.

The Panthers shook off a frigid day – one where heavy snowfall and wind gusts persisted throughout – to defeat the visiting Mariners and improve to 3-0 overall. 

With the elements affecting play, the contest started slowly. Mitchell (1-5) scored the opening goal just three minutes in, but both offenses stalled out for almost the entire rest of the quarter. 

Purchase displayed a balanced attack that included goals from six different players. Ben Erkan (SR/Bellport, NY) and Joe Ely (JR/North Salem, NY) led the pack with two goals apiece, while Connor Schwenker (SR/Westhampton Beach, NY), Cristian Ishoo (SR/Tarrytown, NY), Angus Goldman (JR/Palisades, NY) and Zach Collins (FR/Victor, NY) scored once and combined for four assists.

In addition to his two goals, Erkan added a game-high 13 ground balls and went 12-for-14 on face-offs.

Rookie netminder Will Boes (FR/Pleasantville, NY) recorded an impressive 16 saves and three ground balls to secure his third consecutive win (3-0).
Mitchell broke the scoring ice with an unassisted goal from Ethan LePain four minutes into the first quarter. The Mariners outshot the Panthers 6-1 over the next 10 minutes but Purchase eventually connected, tying the game (1-1) on an Erkan goal with less than 30 seconds remaining.

In the second quarter, the Mariners were again the first to strike, but Ely answered the call for Purchase with a goal at 10:30 that evened the score at two apiece. Both teams produced another pair of goals each, resulting in a 4-4 halftime score.

Erkan fired in the first shot after the break. After winning the opening faceoff and collecting the ground ball, the senior midfielder carried it deep into the attacking third for the unassisted tally that gave PC its first lead of the day (5-4).

Just 40 seconds later, however, the guests responded with a strike, making it five-all.

It was at that point that the Panthers finally broke out of their slumber, both offensively and defensively, to control the game the rest of the way.

With 11 minutes remaining in the third quarter, the Purchase ignited with three unanswered goals to open up an 8-5 advantage. Collins shot the game-winner off the assist from Schwenker.

As for the defense, the Panthers stonewalled the Mariners over the final 29 minutes. Boes shut down five of Mitchell's six on-goal attempts as Purchase held on for the 8-6 victory.

On the day, Purchase dominated the ground-ball battle (37-25) and face-offs (15-3). With the snow, rain and wind, the contest turned out to be a sloppier affair than expected, as the two sides combined for 72 turnovers and 22 failed clear attempts.

Mitchell's John Porcelli and Ethan LePain scored two goals apiece to lead the Mariner offense. Aidan Messuri and Desmond Knowles chipped in with one goal each, while James Giovanniello and Jake Karnes combined for two assists and five ground balls.

The Panthers will look to stay unbeaten on Wednesday (Mar. 16) when they pay a visit to Rosemont College. The non-conference game is set to start at 4 p.m. inside the Ravens Athletic Complex.