Elmhurst, Ill. - The Alma College men's lacrosse team opened the 2016 campaign in dominant fashion, defeating Elmhurst College by a 10-3 margin at Langhorst Field.

Freshman Jared Nycz (Elma, N.Y./Iroquois) tallied four goals and added two assists, while sophomore Daniel Buchy (Springboro, Ohio/Springboro) added four markers to help the Scots win their season-opening contest. Nycz led Alma with eight shots on goal, while Buchy added seven as the Scots tallied 25 shots on net compared to Elmhurst's 13.

Nycz got Alma on the board with 8:09 remaining in the first quarter on an unassisted marker before Elmhurst tied the contest about 90 seconds later. The Scots took the lead for good with 2:41 left to go in the opening frame when senior Marshall Argenta (Stafford, N.Y./Notre Dame) scored to put Alma up, 2-1, after 15 minutes.

In the second quarter, the Scots put three goals on the board to take 5-1 advantage into the half. Sophomore Tanner Diment (Midland, Mich./Midland) scored a few seconds into the stanza before Nycz scored twice to complete the hat trick.

The teams traded goals in the third quarter, with the Bluejays scoring while a man up before Buchy added his first goal to put Alma up by a 6-2 margin heading into the final frame. The fourth quarter was all Scots as Alma outscored Elmhurst, 4-1, including three goals by Buchy to complete the hat trick.

Diment completed the game winning 8-of-11 faceoffs, while sophomore Austin Jordan (Naperville, Ill./Nequa Valley) tallied four ground balls and caused three turnovers on defense. In goal, senior Al Lesperance (Farmington, Mich./Farmington) made 10 saves.

Alma remains on the road to open the season and will travel to Wilmington College on Saturday, Feb. 27. The game is scheduled for a 1:00 p.m. start.

QUOTES

Head Coach Michael Kinney

"It was a good go for our first game. We handled some challenges with a 4 and a half hour day trip, but a lot of guys stepped up and showed us that they are going to contribute to our success. To have such a seasoned defense as a 5-year old program really takes the pressure off our younger players. Now that we've matured on the offensive side of the ball, we think we can be a little more competitive with some really good teams, including a  few in our conference. All in all, I'd day today was a success, but it's only February and we've got a long way to go to achieve the goals we've set."