MEADVILLE, Pa. -- The Allegheny College men's lacrosse team burst out of the starting gates with a red-hot first quarter and rode the momentum to an 18-11 victory over Westminster College on Saturday night at Frank B. Fuhrer Field.

The Gators (5-5, 3-0 PAC) won their third consecutive Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) contest to open the conference slate. Saturday's win could have significant playoff implications by the end of the regular season, as the Titans (7-4, 2-1 PAC) finished one spot ahead of Allegheny and were the third seed in the PAC Tournament a year ago.

In one of the best quarters of lacrosse the Gators have played in recent memory, the Blue and Gold stunned the visiting Titans in the first 15 minutes of action. Allegheny scored eight times in the period, largely thanks to an inspired performance by first-year attacker Alex Crespo (Johnstown, Pa./Westmont Hilltop). Crespo earned each of his four points in the first quarter. He assisted on the second goal, scored by JP Rakis (Kensington, Md./Walter Johnson), and then completed his hat trick eight minutes later to put the Gators up 7-0.

Allegheny, which led 12-4 at halftime, survived a second-half rally from the Titans. Westminster scored five unanswered between the third and fourth quarters and reduced the deficit to just four at 15-11. But the defense held the Titan scoreless for the last 11 minutes of the game while Nick Gralewski (Meadville, Pa./Meadville) added a key man-up goal, and Jack Cushwa (Martinsburg, W.Va./Martinsburg) scored a man-down goal to seal the victory.

Inside the Box Score

• The Gators scored eight times in the first quarter while holding the Titans scoreless for the first 15-plus minutes.
• Allegheny logged 23 of its 55 shots in the first quarter and finished with a 55-to-54 advantage in total shots.
• The Gators picked up more ground balls, 48-to-43, and won 18-of-32 faceoffs.
• Both teams scored a pair of man-up goals, and the Titans surrendered one man-down goal in the final minutes of the fourth quarter.
• Nine different Gators finished with at least one point.
• Rakis (4g-3a) paced Allegheny with seven points and a game-high three assists.
• Gideon Sullivan (Getzville, N.Y./Cathedral (Ind.)) produced five points (3g-2a).
• Crespo (3g-1a) and Cushwa (4g) each had four points.
• Anthony DeMarco (Olmsted Falls, Ohio/Olmsted Falls) won 18 faceoffs and picked up a team-high nine ground balls.
• Defenseman Cassady Bouthet (Vernon, Conn./Rockville) caused five turnovers and added seven ground balls.
• In goal, Garin Stearns (Hudson, Ohio/Revere) made 21 saves to lead Allegheny's defensive unit.
• Gavin Jones (4g-2a) led Westminster with four goals and six points.

News and Notes

• The Gators evened the all-time series vs. Westminster at 1-1.
• Rakis has earned seven points in back-to-back games and multiple points in four in a row.
• Cushwa's four goals are a single-game season-high.
• Crespo has recorded 10 of his 11 points in the past two games.
• Second-year defender Liam Kruck (Murrysville, Pa./Franklin) scored his first collegiate goal against the Titans.
• Stearns made 21 saves against the Titans, tied for the second-most in a game in program history.

Up Next
Allegheny travels to Bethany, West Virginia, for another PAC matchup against Bethany College on Wednesday, April 10, at 4:00 p.m.