ASTON, Pa. - The Neumann University men's lacrosse team opened up its 2020 season with a resounding win on Friday evening, taking down visiting Alvernia University by a score of 23-4 in non-conference action.
 
Chris Bellon paced the Neumann attack on the night with eight points on seven goals and an assist. Drew Conlon (4 g, 2 a) and Rich Marshall (3 g, 3 a) each added six points, while Colin Blake and Ryan McNichol both chipped in with two goals and an assist. Brendan Risley made ten saves in goal to pick up the win.
 
The Knights would take control of the game from the opening face-off, scoring just 1:26 into the game via a goal from Conlon to take an early 1-0 lead. Neumann would continue to dominate the remainder of the first frame, scoring five more times to take a comfortable lead. Conlon had two goals and an assist in the opening 15 minutes, while Blake also tallied twice for the hosts. Alvernia got one back late in the quarter but still trailed by a score of 6-1 after one.
 
Neumann kept its foot on the pedal in the second stanza, outscoring the Golden Wolves 7-1 in the period. Bellon and Conlon each scored twice for the Knights in the frame to go along with goals from McNichol, Brett McLaughlin and John Giovinazzo as the hosts took a commanding 13-2 lead into halftime.
 
The third quarter would be Marshall's time to shine, as the sophomore standout played a part in four of the Knights' six goals in the frame. Marshall assisted on two markers, and found the back of the net twice on his own, including a tally with just one second left in the quarter that gave Neumann a 19-3 lead moving to the fourth. Two goals from Bellon, and one each for McNichol and Will Petraglia rounded out the scoring in the period.
 
Cruising to an easy win in the final 15 minutes of play, the Knights closed out the contest with four more goals. Bellon continued his onslaught on the Alvernia cage with two more goals, while Marshall and freshman Vincent Corbino also tickled the twine. All in all it was a fantastic start to the 2020 season, as Neumann took home a 23-4 victory.
 
Neumann (1-0) will look to build on its early season momentum next Wednesday, February 19th when the team heads to Rosemont College for another non-conference matchup. Game-time is scheduled for 4:00 PM.