Men's Lacrosse Surges Past MCLA, 26-6

THE BASICS

Salem State, 26 at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA), 6

Records: 

MCLA Trailblazers (1-2)

Salem State Vikings (2-1)

Location: North Adams, Mass. 

Date: Wednesday, March 11, 2026

THE LEAD: For the second game in a row, the Salem State men's lacrosse team scored 20-plus goals in a 26-6 rout at MCLA Wednesday evening. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Salem's offense started off fast as the squad scored four times in the first three minutes for a quick 4-0 advantage. Landon Rice (Sturbridge, Mass.) highlighted the opening surge with two goals for the squad. 
• As the quarter went on, MCLA trimmed the deficit to three when Anthony Andolina found the back off a pass from Chase Kranz at 09:19. However, for the remainder of the frame, the Vikings responded with six unanswered goals and took a 10-1 lead going into the second. For the remainder of the first, Connor Vittands (Gloucester, Mass.) led the way with three scores.
• In the second, the Vikies continued where they left off scoring six-straight goals led by three goals from James Tatro (Byfield, Mass.). Even with a late goal in the second for MCLA by Andolina, Salem ended the half with a score of its own from Grady Smith (Beverly, Mass.) and the squad headed into the half with a 17-2 advantage. 
• The Blue and Orange tacked on two quick goals to start the third courtesy of Joseph Turpin (Groveland, Mass.) and Smith at 13:59 and 11:40, respectively, for a 19-2 lead. However, the hosts answered back shortly after with a score by Neal Brierley at the 10:18 mark. Even with the score, Salem's strong offenseive play continued for the remainder of the quarter when the team netted four unanswered scores which led to a 23-3 lead going into the fourth.
• During the fourth quarter, it was more of the same as the Vikes continued to pour on the offense. The Blue and Orange added three more goals despite MCLA also adding three goals of its own but it would not be enough as Salem earned a 26-6 victory. During the quarter, Salem saw three different scorers in Smith, Juan Vidal (Grafton, Mass.) and Matthew Lindstrom (Peabody, Mass.). 

 INSIDE THE NUMBERS: 

• Tatro led the Salem offensive attack with a career-high six goals. Along with Tatro, Smith and Vittands were Salem's other five-goal scorers.
• Four different Vikings finished the day with a team-high two assists in Collins, Lindstrom, Turpin, and Jimmy Trahan (Reading, Mass.).
• Ryan Cohen (Bedford, Mass.) earned the win in net today after he finished the day with five saves.
• Brierley led the Trailblazers with a hat trick on the day. 
• In net for MCLA, Quentan Polokowski took the loss after he stopped 22 shots.
• Salem outshot MCLA by a 79-13 margin. The Vikes have now recorded 70-plus shots in back-to-back games.
• The Vikes were nearly perfect on the face-off after finishing 35-36. Throughout the first three quarters though, the squad remained perfect on face-offs.
• Salem has won its last three matchups against MCLA outscoring them, 68-16.
• The 26 goals are now the second most in program history.
• Payton Cabral (Lancaster, Mass.) set a program record with 31 face-off wins after going 31-31. His 31 face-off wins were five away from the NCAA record. 

UP NEXT:

Salem has its home opener this Saturday, March 14 at 1:00 p.m. hosting Mt. St. Vincent.