RINDGE, N.H. (March 2, 2011) -- The Franklin Pierce University men's lacrosse team opened its 2011 season on Wednesday with a 13-7 triumph over Curry College at Sodexo Field in Rindge. The Ravens, who improved to 1-0, won their second-consecutive season-opener. Curry dipped to 0-1.
 
A pair of Ravens had four-goal afternoons, including junior midfielder Eric Harries (Dunstable, Mass.) and senior attackman Nate Wood (Binghamton, N.Y.). Wood also added an assist to tally a five-point afternoon, which tied his career-high for total points in a contest. Harries' four goals came in his Franklin Pierce debut, as he transferred into the program prior to the season after playing the previous two years at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. The four markers were the first for Harries in his collegiate career.
 
Junior attackman Jimmy McInnis (Amherst, N.H.) also had a strong offensive game for the Ravens as he scored a pair of goals and assisted on two others for a four-point day. The two tallies tied his career-high.
 
The Ravens featured freshman Tim Izzo (Trumbull, Conn.) in goal, and the rookie had a solid collegiate debut as he made seven saves to backstop Franklin Pierce to victory.
 
Curry was led by Joseph Natale, who tossed in five goals, while assisting on another to post a six-point afternoon. Michael Hibbard stopped 12 shots in net, despite suffering the loss.
 
It didn't take long for Franklin Pierce to strike as the Ravens scored on their first shot attempt just 25 seconds into the game. Harries got the tally as he roamed around the top of the box and fired a strike that eluded the goal stick of Robichaud. A little more than three minutes later McInnis scooped up a ground ball behind the goal and swung around the front of the net and slipped a shot to the low-side to give the Ravens a 2-0 advantage.
 
Natale scored back-to-back goals minutes later to knot the score at 2-2 as the first quarter ended. The first period saw Franklin Pierce play a little hesitant due to the fact that several first-year players were making their collegiate debuts. However, that hesitancy wore off in the second quarter and the early stages of the third quarter as the Ravens scored eight-straight tallies during that time frame to build a comfortable 10-2 advantage.
 
Wood popped in his first goal at the 13:05 mark of the second quarter to break the 2-2 tie and Harries followed three minutes later with his second goal of the game to make it 4-2 Franklin Pierce. Sophomore midfielder Scott MacDonald (Marshfield, Mass.) followed with a goal midway through the period and Harries capped the first-half scoring with his third goal at 4:55 of the second to give the Ravens a 6-2 lead at halftime.
 
Just as he did in the first half, Harries came out firing early in the second half and scored a goal just 24 seconds into the third quarter to extend Franklin Pierce's lead to 7-2. Senior co-captain Jack Scanlan (Great Neck, N.Y.) tossed in a goal 90 seconds later, and junior attacker Zach Wielgoszinski (Amherst, N.H.) scored his first goal in a Ravens' uniform at the 8:19 mark of the period to make it 9-2. Wielgoszinski, along with his identical twin brother Josh (Amherst, N.H.), transferred into the program prior to the season after spending the previous two years at Lassell College.
 
McInnis capped Franklin Pierce's surge with a goal moments later, but Curry stemmed the tide with a pair of tallies in the final 2:33 of the quarter to pull within 10-4 at the end of three.
 
Wood, though, put any thoughts of a Curry comeback to rest as he scored three-straight markers to open the fourth quarter to put Franklin Pierce up, 13-4, with just 6:56 remaining. Curry did add three goals late, but it wasn't enough as the Ravens cruised on to victory. The Colonels did fire several shots on goal late in the game, but Izzo was able to come up with some strong saves to keep Curry from coming back any further.
 
The home win added to Franklin Pierce's growing success at Sodexo Field under second-year head coach Rick Senatore, as the Ravens have gone 5-3 in the friendly-confines of Rindge since the start of last season. Franklin Pierce returns to action Saturday when the Ravens play host to Dominican (N.Y.) at 1 p.m. in Sodexo Field.  The Colonels host Mt. Ida on Saturday in a 12:00 p.m. game start.

(Release Courtesy of Franklin & Pierce Sports Information)