NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Connecticut College men's lacrosse team rallied past Salve Regina University by an 18-9 final on Tuesday night in a non-conference matchup at Silfen Field.

The Camels took control in the second quarter and never looked back, shutting the Seahawks out for nearly 33 minutes of game time. After scoring five times in the opening quarter, Salve didn't find the back of the cage again until the 12:11 mark of the fourth, and by then the deficit was much too large to overcome.

Conn's JJ Ford (Clinton, Conn.) led all scorers with four goals on the night, and Aidan McAvoy (Charlotte, N.C.) chipped in three goals and an assist while recording his 100th career point. Goalie Will Vivian (Slingerlands, N.Y.) made four saves to pick up his second win of the season.

Salve came out strong to start the game, scoring twice in the first four minutes to grab a 2-0 advantage. Andrew Rainville (Watertown, Conn.) got the Camels on the scoreboard at the 10:13 mark, and Liam Horkan (Malden, Mass.) quickly followed with his first of the game to even the score.

After Casey Johnson put the Seahawks back on top, Ryan Breheny (Bridgewater, Mass.) knotted things up again on a goal with 5:43 left in the first. However, Salve tacked on a pair of scores in the final 15 seconds of the period to lead 5-3 after one.

Early in the second quarter, the Camels cashed in on an extra-man opportunity as Horkan tacked on his second goal of the half. Chris Travers (Mill Valley, Calif.) followed with an unassisted effort to tie the game with 10:45 left in the stanza, and Ford gave Conn its first lead at the 8:58 mark. Patrick Atkins (Topsfield, Mass.) and Myles Newport (Oakville, Ontario) then added scores to provide the Camels some cushion heading toward the intermission.

McAvoy supplied the final goal of the half in spectacular fashion, scoring just before the horn to make it a 9-5 game. The play began on a restart by Rainville with two seconds left on the clock, and his pass to the front of the cage was plucked off the turf by McAvoy and finished in one swift motion. 

McAvoy nabbed his 100th career point early in the second half. After taking a feed from behind the cage, he quickly darted past his defender and whipped a low shot through the crease and drew twine. 

Isaiah Kozub (Wilbraham, Mass.), Zach Bucher (Verona, N.J.) and Ford all added tallies in the third as the Camels stretched the lead to 13-5. Ford completed his hat trick early in the fourth, giving Conn its 11th straight goal since the second quarter.

McAvoy completed his hat trick with 11:48 to go in the game, and Ford added his fourth marker minutes later. Isaiah Kozub and Josh Kozub (Wilbraham, Mass.) each contributed goals in the final five minutes to wrap up the night, giving the Camels their highest single game goal tally of the season. 

Johnson led Salve Regina (9-2 overall) with three goals while goalie Andrew Hazard finished with 10 saves in the setback.

Conn (4-3 overall) will next host Williams College on Saturday, March 29 at 1:00 p.m.