NORTHFIELD, Vt. - The Norwich University men's lacrosse team delivered one of its most complete performances of the young season on Saturday afternoon, erupting for 12 second-quarter goals to secure its first Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) victory of the year in a commanding 21-4 triumph over Albertus Magnus College on Sabine Field at Haynes Family Stadium.

A total of 14 Cadets found the back of the net in the victory.  Jackson Forbes (Merrimack, N.H.), Christian Rainis (Wynantskill, N.Y.), and Jake Marcotte (Old Orchard Beach, Maine) each recorded hat tricks with three goals apiece.  Marcotte also distributed three assists to finish with a team-high six points.

Robbie McAllister (Amherst, Mass.) turned in a five-point performance on two goals and three assists, while Drew Fleury (Nashua, N.H.) and James Raymond (Tracy's Landing, Md.) each contributed one goal and two assists.  David Gosselin (South Burlington, Vt.) added a goal and an assist.

Ryan McGorry (Hingham, Mass.), David Myers (Hainesport, N.J.), Liam O'Neill (Hingham, Mass.), Case MacDonald (Burke, Va.), Wes Emerson (Cheshire, Mass.), Alex Johnston (Franklin, Tenn.), and Zachary Cooney (Victor, N.Y.) rounded out the scoring with one goal apiece.  Mark Chu (Amston, Conn.) and Harrison Poquette (South Burlington, Vt.) each chipped in an assist.

Albertus Magnus struck first just 77 seconds into the contest, but Rainis answered unassisted moments later to spark a commanding Norwich surge.  The Cadets tacked on two more tallies within the next two minutes, first from Forbes before Fleury connected with Marcotte.  Fleury later capped the opening quarter with a goal of his own off a Marcotte feed, giving Norwich a 4-1 advantage.

The Cadets seized full control in the second quarter, pouring in 12 goals to break the contest open.  O'Neill ignited the run off a pass from McAllister before Raymond added another.  Forbes capitalized on a man-up opportunity set up by Raymond, and McGorry followed with a finish off a Fleury assist midway through the frame.

Gosselin then connected with Marcotte just over a minute later to extend the lead, and Forbes completed his hat trick less than a minute afterward.  Rainis added consecutive goals off helpers from Marcotte and Poquette to push the margin to 12-1 with four minutes remaining in the half.  McAllister later set up Myers before scoring himself, and Johnston and Marcotte added goals in the final 90 seconds to send Norwich into halftime with a commanding 16-1 edge.

Norwich maintained its momentum into the third quarter as McAllister recorded his third assist of the afternoon on a Case MacDonald finish.  The Falcons halted the extended Cadet run in the final minute of the period, but McAllister struck again early in the fourth off a face-off win by Chu.

Albertus Magnus added another tally moments later, though Norwich continued to build its cushion.  Emerson converted on a Marcotte feed, and Gosselin followed with a goal to push the Cadets beyond the 20-goal mark.  The Falcons found the net once more in the final two minutes before Raymond connected with Cooney with 24 seconds remaining to seal the 17-goal victory.

Norwich controlled the contest in several key areas, including a near-perfect 21-for-23 effort on clears.  The Cadets also held an 18-10 advantage at the face-off stripe, led by Ryan Magararu (Newtonville, Mass.), who secured 12 wins.  Chu and Cavin MacDonald (Springfield, Va.) also contributed victories in the circle.

The Cadets dominated the ground ball battle, 44-17, with Magararu collecting six to pace the effort.  Ryder Spiers (Virginia Beach, Va.) and Noah St. Germaine (Plymouth, Mass.) added five and four ground balls, respectively.

Defensively, Norwich generated 16 caused turnovers, highlighted by three apiece from Myers and Xavier Ixtlahuac (Carthage, N.Y.).  Albertus Magnus finished the contest with 26 total turnovers.

Norwich will reach the midpoint of its five-game homestand on Wednesday, Mar. 18, hosting Trinity College for a 4:00 p.m. matchup on Sabine Field.  The Cadets will then celebrate Senior Day on Saturday, Mar. 21, welcoming Saint Joseph's College of Maine for a 12:00 p.m. GNAC contest.