CHESTER, Pa. – The Widener University men's lacrosse team upended the Arcadia Knights in an offensive outburst on Saturday afternoon that saw 34 goals between the two sides. The Pride becomes just the second team in program history to advance to 6-1, matching the 1978 squad that also started 6-1 under head coach Ed Dinksi.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Paz Gismondi and Connor Ball both led the Blue and Gold in points with five each off three scores and two assists. Gismondi moves to 100 career assists with Widener, just 10 shy of fourth all-time.
• Connor Heisman recorded his fourth hat trick of the season with four goals on the day.
• Jayce Dyer posted a career-high four points, finding rope twice and dishing two helpers.
• Kenneth Watts went 17-of-28 on face-offs and scooped a team-high five ground balls.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Paz Gismondi got the high-scoring affair started with an unassisted goal just 28 seconds into the game. Nick DiCicco and Heisman also found rope early, but five Arcadia scores put the Pride down 5-3 after 10 minutes. Heisman quickly followed up with two quick back-to-back goals to get his hat trick before the first quarter ended. Two Arcadia scores in the period's final minutes put the Knights up 6-5 after one.

Both sides continued to exchange points in the second with a pair of goals from DiCicco and Nick DiIorio putting the Blue and Gold up two at the quarter's midpoint. However, consecutive Widener penalties at the five minute mark allowed the Knights to pick up two man-up scores to lock the tally at 12 entering halftime.

The Pride took its biggest lead of the day with three straight goals to open the second half, including two from Paz Gismondi to give him his second hat trick of the season. However, once again Widener penalties gave the Knights the opportunity they needed and four straight Arcadia goals followed by another from the Pride tied the score at 16 with nine minutes remaining in the game. Both teams played hard defense in the finals minutes, but it was Mike Kala'i who found rope at the 3:17 mark to give the Pride the go-ahead goal. Dyer netted one more in the final minute to ice the game as the Blue and Gold rolled to its sixth victory of the season.

UP NEXT
Widener returns to conference play with a midweek road matchup against Eastern on Wednesday, April 7. Opening face-off is set for 4 p.m.