WENHAM, Mass. (3/29/2025) – The Nichols College men's lacrosse team came out on the better side of an all-out dogfight Saturday afternoon, narrowly defeating Gordon College 11-8 in conference play at the Brigham Complex.
 
With the win, the Bison improved to 2-8 (1-1 CNE) overall. Meanwhile, the Fighting Scots fall to 1-5 (0-2 CNE) with the loss.
 
Conor Doherty filled the stat sheet for the Bison with three goals, three ground balls and two caused turnovers, Dylan DeRubeis and Aydan Lockard each scored twice in the win. Jackson Hernandez posted a team-high six ground balls, while Ullo matched Doherty's three ground balls, and two caused turnovers.
 
Brady Morgan (3-8) stood tall in goal, making 10 saves through a full 60 minutes in net for the win. His performance also made him the program's all-time leader in career saves, passing former record holder Scott Gray (2009-12). 
 
Libby opened the scoring with an unassisted goal at 13:26 of the first quarter, spearheading a 3-0 Bison run with additional goals from DeRubeis and CJ Cadigan. Gordon answered with their own scoring streak, potting two goals in the final two minutes of the period, narrowing Nichols' lead to 3-2 with 15 minutes gone.
 
The Fighting Scots made things more interesting with a man-up goal at the 14:38 mark of the second, tying the score at 3-3. Nichols countered with two unanswered goals, beginning with Ayden Lockard from John Caserta and ending with a man-up strike from Conor Doherty, placing them back in the lead by a 5-3 margin. However, the Fighting Scots were determined to keep things close, as they ended the half with their own pair of strikes, sending the teams off the field for the intermission deadlocked at 5-5.
 
Nichols reclaimed the upper hand following a low-scoring third quarter, where they finished with a slight 2-1 advantage in scoring. The first of the two Bison goals came at 13:13 of the period off a shot from Doherty, his second goal of the contest, while the second belonged to DeRubeis late in the action at 2:39, also for his second of the day.  
 
After five minutes of scoreless play in the fourth, Doherty completed his hat trick at the 9:46 mark, putting the Bison ahead by two. Gordon quickly answered with a goal less than two minutes later, slashing Nichols' lead back to one at 8-7, leading up to another 3-0 stretch by the Bison with goals from Lockard, Ullo and Cadigan, ultimately leading Nichols to their 11-8 victory.  
 
Nichols will return home to host conference foe Endicott College (6-3, 2-0 CNE) on Tuesday, April 1^st for the team's Staff and Faculty Game. Opening draw is set for 4:00 PM at Vendetti Field.