BUFFALO, N.Y. – In the first of a two-game homestand, the D'Youville University men's lacrosse team secured their first conference win of the season as they defeated St. Thomas Aquinas College by a score of 18-16 Saturday afternoon.
 
The Saints (5-7, 1-3 ECC) were led offensively by Obrigh Tallchief (Irving, N.Y./Lake Shore) with eight points (3 goals, 5 assists) while Carsyn Kent (Whitby, Ontario/Donald A. Wilson Secondary), Jonathan Abbarno (Chargin Falls, Ohio/Kenston), and Brady Ruffalo (Webster, N.Y./Webster Schroeder) each accounted for four points apiece. Tallchief led the way with six groundballs with Stefano Evan (Vestal, N.Y./Vestal) added five groundballs. Christian Cliff (Toronto, Ontario/Lakeshore Collegiate Institute) led the defensive effort with three caused turnovers.
 
DYU started the game out hot, leading the Spartans 6-3 after one frame of action. Ruffalo got the scoring start with the game's first goal, but STAC answered back. Goals from Evan and Nick Sholett (Vestal, N.Y./Vestal) made it 3-1 in favor of D'Youville. The Spartans chipped into the lead but three straight from the Saints made it 6-2. STAC added one more before the end of the quarter to make it 6-3.
 
In the second quarter, DYU led by as many as four goals, taking an 8-4 lead with 11:46 left in the half. STAC was able to string together some goals of their own, scoring three unanswered to make it 8-7 with just over a minute until the break. Both teams scored once more before halftime as the Saints took a 9-8 lead into the break.
 
Coming out of the half, the Spartans tied it up quickly to make it a 9-9 game. Ruffalo and Sholett scored two quick goals to give DYU an 11-9 lead. STAC did show quit in them, scoring a pair to get things back at a deadlock. D'Youville kept answering the call, scoring two more goals before the end of the third as Kent score two times to make it 13-11.
 
The Spartans did not go away, scoring twice to make it 13-13 with just a minute into the final frame. The Saints used a 5-1 run to help pull away from the Spartans, especially a three-goal outburst from Ruffalo, Tallchief, and Abbarno to help seal the game.
 
William Nichols (Palmyra, N.Y./Palmyra-Macedon) earned the win in net, playing the first 30 minutes while making six saves. Casey Berns (Webster, N.Y./Webster Schroeder) went the rest of the way, making six saves himself.
 
The Saints will close out their home part of the regular season next Thursday, April 10th, as they host the University of the District of Columbia at 3 p.m.