BOCA RATON, Fla. – If any part of the collegiate men's lacrosse world was not paying attention to Lynn University before, they certainly are now. The Fighting Knights opened up their 2019 campaign at home on Sunday vs. seventh-ranked NYIT, thrashing the Bears in a dominant 19-5 victory. The win marks the first time in program history that the Blue and White defeated a team nationally ranked No. 7 or higher.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Lynn 19, NYIT 5
Records: Lynn (1-0), NYIT (0-2)
Location: Bobby Campbell Stadium | Boca Raton, Fla.
All-time Series: First-ever meeting
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STATS OF THE GAME:

• The Fighting Knights came out hot, scoring early and often, firing off four unanswered goals in the first three minutes.
• A pair of youngsters led the way offensively as sophomore Xander Cosenza and freshman Caleb Wells each tallied five goals apiece. Cosenza added four ground balls while Wells hit the frame on five of his six shot attempts.
• Mikey Urso returned to his role as the facilitator in the offense, producing a six-point game with two goals and a team-high four assists.
• Nick McCabe and Cal Gallagher notched two goals each, with McCabe adding a pair of helpers for four points.
• Dryden Brous, Greg Morissette and Keegan Maxwell rounded out Lynn's goal scorers.
• Gavin Leach and Peter Masters both got in the scorebook with an assist.
• Brous, a 2018 All-American, appears primed for another dominant season as the junior faceoff specialist went 19-of-24 at the X with a team-high-tying seven ground balls. Freshman Dwayne Owens won all three of his faceoff attempts in his collegiate debut.
• Entering his third season as Lynn's starting netminder, Collin McClelland came up big in the cage with 13 saves and three ground balls.
• Aside from streaking down the middle for his eighth career goal, senior long-pole defender Morissette set a career-high with seven ground balls.
• Conrad Rhein was the only Fighting Knight to record multiple caused turnovers.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• Lynn secures its first-ever win over a team ranked inside the top-seven nationally. The Fighting Knights' win over No. 8 Adelphi two years ago was the previous high mark.
• Lynn led 7-1 after one quarter of play and took a 13-3 edge into the locker room at halftime.
• Wells becomes the third Lynn freshman to score five or more goals in a game. Cosenza accomplished the feat last season.
• There have only been six players in program history to record five or more goals in a game.
• Last year, Brous became the first All-American in program history. He was also tabbed a Second Team Preseason All-American by Inside Lacrosse heading into this season.
• The Fighting Knights are just outside the national rankings by the USILA, but were tabbed No. 19 on the Nike/US Lacrosse Division II Men's Preseason Top-20 Poll.
• This was the first time these two programs met.
• Lynn's 19 goals are tied for the fourth-most in a game in program history.
• Lynn dominated the ground game, logging 48 ground balls to NYIT's 20.
• The Bears have had a rough Florida trip, starting their season 0-2 after an upset loss to Palm Beach Atlantic earlier this week.
• The Bears made the NCAA Tournament last season and have won back-to-back East Coast Conference titles.

UP NEXT:
The Fighting Knights will head out west for a two-game stint in Utah, first taking on Colorado Mesa at 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 2.