Garden City, N.Y. - With the help of a team-leading eight points from Michael Durnin and Noah Gibson, the no. 1 Adelphi University men's lacrosse team put together a 20-8 victory over St. Thomas Aquinas College in its opener on Wednesday evening. 

Series History: 

• The Panthers are 3-0 all-time against the Spartans, dating back to the 2018 season. In each meeting, they've managed to hold STAC to single digit scoring, while putting up 20 or more goals in each victory. 

Highlights: 

• Durnin matched his career high in points, courtesy of five goals and three helpers. He additionally grabbed five ground balls and posted a nearly perfect shot on goal percentage. 
• Gibson also finished with eight points, with the help of a season-high six goals and two assists. 
• Braden Donnellan took a break from scoring but assisted on six of his teammates' goals, accounting for six. 
• Carter Linkletter was a menace on defense, securing six caused turnovers - a third of Adelphi's total, 18. 
• All four members of the goalie room took a quarter between the pipes, combining for six saves, with Christian Tomei earning the victory. 
• Charles Cavalieri and Kiernan Crayton Dillon each scored their first goals of the season, with the latter standing as a career first. 

How It Happened:

• Adelphi (3-0) wasted no time following an opening faceoff win for Michael Reilly, as Gibson found the back of the cage within 10 seconds to open the scoring for the home team. The Cats scored six more goals before St. Thomas Aquinas got on the board - a sub-minute strike that squeaked past Tomei, to make it 7-1 following the opening quarter. 
• The second quarter played out much like the first, with the Brown and Gold tacking on another six goals, before their opponent managed one. Through the first half, Adelphi managed to have a 39-10 advantage in shots alone, as Spartan netminder Hayden Gaudette racked up 18 saves in the loss. 
• The teams traded goals in the early going of the third, but a 3-0 run for the home team kept their opponents at bay. STAC's second goal of the frame came following a one minute penalty on first-year Brian Mannion. 
• Nearly six minutes expired in the final quarter before the offense got going again - this time it was a pair of tallies from the Spartans in a matter of 35 seconds, past keeper Christopher Santacroce. The visitors took advantage of a pair of man-up possessions, converting each to make it an 8-19 game with 5:30 left in the fourth. Thomas Raccomandato scored the final goal of the night, after connecting with James Hegel for the team's 20th of the home opener. 
• STAC managed to outscore the Cats 4-2 in the final 15 minutes of action. 

Hear from Coach Purdie:

• "It felt incredible to be back on Motamed Field," said Head Coach Gordon Purdie. "The team has been working tirelessly since we returned and that dedication really showed tonight. I was especially proud of our ball movement - seeing 17 assisted goals is a testament to how our squad performed as a unit."

Up Next: 

• Adelphi will be on the road for its next three games, starting with a visit to Wingate University, for another first-time matchup on Wednesday, Feb. 25.