HENNIKER, N.H. - The Norwich University men's lacrosse team secured its second consecutive Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) victory on Wednesday afternoon, building an early advantage and holding off a late push to defeat New England College, 10-7, at Don Melander Field.

Jake Marcotte (Old Orchard Beach, Maine) led a balanced offensive effort, finishing with four goals and an assist for five points.  Jackson Forbes (Merrimack, N.H.) recorded a hat trick alongside a helper, while Christian Rainis (Wynantskill, N.Y.) added two goals and an assist.  James Raymond (Tracy's Landing, Md.) contributed a goal, and Drew Fleury (Nashua, N.H.) facilitated the attack with two assists.

Norwich wasted little time asserting control. Raymond opened the scoring just 47 seconds into the contest, and Forbes followed with back-to-back goals over a three-minute stretch, including a man-up tally off a Marcotte assist, to quickly extend the Cadet lead.

The momentum continued late in the opening quarter, as Rainis found the back of the net twice in a 118-second span, with his second coming off a Fleury feed.  The surge gave Norwich a commanding 5-0 advantage at the end of the first frame.

Marcotte pushed the run further early in the second quarter, scoring just 56 seconds into the period as the Cadet defense continued to limit opportunities.  New England College eventually broke through with five minutes remaining in the half and added another shortly after, trimming the deficit to 6-2 at the break.

Norwich responded decisively out of halftime, stringing together three consecutive goals in the third quarter.  Marcotte scored twice in a 62-second span, capitalizing on assists from Forbes and Rainis, before Forbes completed his hat trick in the closing minutes of the stanza to restore control.

The Cadets extended their lead to its largest margin of the afternoon on Marcotte's fourth goal with 13:17 remaining, building a 10-2 advantage.  The Pilgrims mounted a furious rally down the stretch, scoring three times in a 24-second burst before adding two more goals in the final eight minutes.  Despite the late pressure, Norwich remained composed, closing out the 10-7 victory.

Defensively, Norwich turned in a strong collective effort, generating 17 caused turnovers.  Rainis led the way with three caused turnovers while also collecting five ground balls. Marcotte, Xavier Ixtlahuac (Carthage, N.Y.), David Myers (Hainesport, N.J.), Case MacDonald (Burke, Va.), and Jack Bailey (Weymouth, Mass.) each added two caused turnovers.

Mason Dils (Watervliet, N.Y.) earned his fifth win of the season and the 10th of his career in goal, making 11 saves while securing a team-high six ground balls.

Norwich will conclude its three-game road trip on Saturday, Apr. 4, traveling to Nashua, N.H., for a 2:00 p.m. matchup against reigning GNAC champion Rivier University.  The Cadets will then return home on Wednesday, Apr. 8, to host Regis College.