Box Score

GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Senior Jameson Smith (Glen Ridge, N.J./Glen Ridge) racked up seven points on four goals and three assists and the sixth-ranked Gettysburg College men's lacrosse team rolled past Messiah College 12-4 in its season opener Saturday afternoon at an unseasonably warm Shirk Field at Musselman Stadium.
 
The Bullets held Messiah (1-1) to one goal in each quarter, with junior long-stick midfielder Chris Palladino (Basking Ridge, N.J./Ridge) fronting the defensive effort with seven ground balls and five caused turnovers. Sophomore goalie Tim Brady (Charlotte, N.C./Providence) registered 11 saves for Gettysburg, which captured its 11th consecutive season opener and won its 16th-straight regular season game, dating back to 2014.
 
Smith tied his career-highs in both goals and points, posting his fourth career four-goal game. Junior Sean Fumai (Weston, Conn./Weston) added two goals and one assist for the Bullets while classmate Reed Barbe (Greenwich, Conn./Suffield Academy) contributed one goal and two assists. Sophomore Geoff Fulgione (North Andover, Mass./Brooks School) won 9-of-14 face-offs for the Orange and Blue, who were playing the earliest game in program history.
 
Blake Knobloch notched two goals and one assist for the Falcons while Sam Stengel made seven saves.
 
Smith had a hand in each of Gettysburg's first six goals, netting the team's first four tallies of the season before assisting on the next two. He struck 4:30 into the contest, and after Knobloch pulled the Falcons even with 7:30 remaining in the opening quarter, Smith rattled off the next three goals.He converted twice inside the last 4:11 of the first quarter to make it a 3-1 game at the end of the period.
 
It was a scoreless game for most of the second quarter the two sides combined for three goals in the final 2:34. Smith scored his final goal of the day to make it 4-1 before Messiah answered with a man-up tally with 36 seconds left. But the Bullets struck seven seconds before the horn when Fumai tipped in a pass from Smith, giving the hosts a 5-2 halftime lead.
 
Smith continued his point streak when he set up a man-up goal that was tipped in by Fumai with 9:23 left in the quarter. Freshman Michael Risser (Chester Springs, Pa./Downingtown East) pushed Gettysburg's advantage to 7-2 when he scored his first collegiate goal with 6:38 left in the third quarter.
 
Messiah scored with 3:37 left in the period before the Bullets responded with a decisive 4-0 run that spanned into the fourth quarter. Distler scored off a Barbe feed with 1:33 left in the period, and the two reversed roles with 13 seconds left to make it 9-3 heading into the final quarter.
 
Junior Samuel Woodcock (Clifton Park, N.Y./Berkshire School) got into the act when he scored with 11:50 remaining before freshman Thomas Heller (Livingston, N.J./Livingston) added his first career goal with 10:25 showing. The Falcons scored their final goal with 8:44 remaining before Fumai set the final score, tipping in another Smith feed with 4:02 left
 
Gettysburg returns to action on Wednesday, when it visit Goucher College in a non-conference game starting at 3:30 p.m.