BROOKVILLE, N.Y. – It was a historic start to the 2019 season for the LIU Post men's lacrosse team who thumped American International College, 28-8 at Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium in the season-opener on Saturday, Feb. 16.
 
The 28 goals scored by the Pioneers are the most in program history, bettering the previous mark of 26 set against Lake Erie College on May 9, 2010. The goal output is also the most across all active NCAA divisions during the young season, besting a mark of 27 goals by Saint Leo University (Div. II) Rockhurst (Div. II) and Penn State University (Div. I). Division III programs have yet to begin their 2019 season of competition.
 
14 different players scored for the Pioneers, led by a five-goal effort from sophomore William Snelders and freshman Jake Gillis. Junior Alex Russell netted four goals in his Pioneer debut as well, scoring on all four shot attempts on the day. Freshmen Doug Chase, Brad Beck, and Kyle Dolan all scored their first career goals during the victory.
 
In the faceoff circle, senior Connor Farrell finished 25-of-28 (.893), collecting 22 ground balls on the day. UMBC junior transfer Dalton Chea was also impressive in his debut, going 9-for-11 (.818) on faceoffs with eight ground balls.
 
Senior Bryan Ochs earned the win between the pipes, needing just one save during the first half. Sophomore John Whitenack added two saves during the third quarter and freshman John Ruddick posted two stops in his debut during the fourth quarter.
 
The Green and Gold dominated all aspects of the game from start to finish. LIU Post outshot American International, 63-22, including a 42-13 edge in shots on goal. Defensively, the Pioneers forced 32 turnovers and held the Yellow Jackets to a 12-for-27 (.444) effort on clear attempts. LIU Post also dominated the ground game, collecting 59 ground balls to just 22 for American International.
 
Despite falling behind 1-0 early, the Pioneers used a 5-0 run to take a lead that they would never surrender midway through the first quarter. The home squad eventually posted five more goals during the opening stanza and added an additional 12 during the second quarter to take a dominating 22-5 lead into the halftime intermission.
 
LIU Post will face its first nationally-ranked opponent of the season on Saturday, Feb. 23 when No. 13 Saint Anselm College comes to Brookville. Faceoff against the Hawks is slated for 2:30 p.m.