Recap by student-staff writer Colin Struckman 

RINDGE, N.H. (4/15/25) – The Ravens scored 2 miraculous late goals with less than a minute left including a tying goal from sophomore defenseman Nick Sawyer (Dracut, Mass.) with just 10 seconds left. Despite this, the Franklin Pierce Ravens men's lacrosse team dropped an overtime thriller to the Saint Michael's Purple Knights in overtime. The Ravens were backed by a solid home crowd at Sodexo Field with it being an Athletes Back Athletes game.  

Score: Saint Michael's 13, Franklin Pierce 12 (OT) 

Records: Franklin Pierce (2-9, 1-6 NE-10), Saint Michael's (7-5, 2-5 NE-10) 

Location: Sodexo Field, Rindge, N.H.  

Date: Tuesday, April 15, 2025 

HOW IT HAPPENED: 

• The Ravens came out firing to begin the game. Sophomore defender Kyle Breitweiser (Billerica, Mass.) came streaking into the offensive zone and ripped a shot into the back of the cage to take an early 1-0 lead 1:37 into the contest. The goal was Kyle Breitweiser's first of his collegiate career.  

• Play paused for 30 minutes due to a weather delay, but the Ravens picked up right where they left off. Freshman attackmen Aidan Gibbons (Billerica, Mass.) netted a goal to give the Ravens the 2-0 lead.  

• The Purple Knights ended the first quarter with a strong counter. Cristian Reyes scored back-to-back goals to equalize the game at two a piece, ending the first quarter. Sophomore attackmen Everett Hillman (Newington, Conn.) opened the second quarter with a bang for the Ravens as he fired a shot into the back of the net for a score. However, Sebastian Simonson scored consecutive goals for the Purple Knights to give them the 4-3 advantage. The Ravens tied things up courtesy of senior midfielder Jackson Hale (Kensington, N.H.), leveling the game at 4-4.  

• The Purple Knights always seemed to land their punches against the Ravens in this game. Ethan Hughes and Sebastian Simonson each scored to give them the 6-4 lead.  

• Despite this, the Ravens were able to rally. Sophomore defenseman Andrew Small (Middleboro, Mass.) scored his first collegiate goal to cut the deficit to one. Then, junior midfielder Connor Henchey (Bellingham, Mass.) tied the game off a feed from freshman attackmen Michael Lawler (Wilmington, Mass.). The momentum carried into the end of the first half as junior midfielder Jackson Philion (Charlton, Mass.) capped it off with a goal to take a 7-6 lead into the halftime break.  

• The game continued to be a seesaw battle in the 3rd quarter. Thomas Cahill tied things up on the man up to begin the quarter. Everett Hilman then added his 2nd goal of the game to give the Ravens the lead back, 8-7. The Purple Knights countered with a pair of goals to give them the 9-8 lead. Sophomore midfielder Chris Hunt (Billerica, Mass.) found the equalizer for the Ravens with 2:34 left in the quarter. However, the Purple Knights scored with just 2 seconds left in the quarter to go up 10-9.  

• It seemed like the Purple Knights delivered the knockout punch in the 4th quarter, striking for 2 goals early on to take the 12-9 lead. However, the Ravens weren't dead yet. The late rally started with Everett Hillman earning his hat trick, Jackson Hale was credited with an assist on the goal. Then, freshman midfielder Jake Cusson (Lakeville, Mass.) got the Ravens within one with 44 seconds left. With just 10 seconds left in regulation, Jackson Hale crossed a pass over to Nick Sawyer, who rocketed a shot into the net to tie the game at 12-12 and miraculously send the game to overtime.  

BREAKING DOWN THE NUMBERS: 

• The Purple Knights outshot the Ravens 41-32.  

• The Ravens went 0-1 on the man up. The Purple Knights went 2-6.  

• The Ravens won 10 face-offs, compared to 17 from the Purple Knights.  

• The Ravens committed 14 turnovers; the Purple Knights committed 12.  

• The Ravens won 17 ground balls. The Purple Knights won 23.  

• Senior goalkeeper Mike Masterpolo (Kingston, Mass.) suffered the loss in net for the Ravens but made an impressive 14 saves between the pipes.  

NEXT UP FOR THE RAVENS: The Ravens are back in action on Saturday (4/19) as they take on the defending national champion Adelphi Panthers for their Senior Day. Face-off is at noon at Sodexo Field.