GREENVILLE, Pa. — Ten different Wolves scored as the Keuka College Men's Lacrosse team defeated Thiel College 21-11 in their season-opening game.

Nicholas Pipher led Keuka College (1-0) with four goals in the win. Matt Jerman recorded a hat trick with three goals. Senior Devon Gerhardt was the leading point scorer with a pair of goals and a game-high four assists. Frankie Rivera, Harrison Root, Jake Lettieri, and Aiden Nice all scored their first goals in a Keuka College uniform as well.

Keuka College 21 at Thiel College 11
The Wolves nearly got out to the fastest start on the season possible as Enrique Castillo won the opening faceoff and broke in on goal, but his shot was stopped seven seconds into the 2024 season. The Wolves kept the early pressure on as Robert Hill caused a turnover on the ensuing clear. Devon Gerhardt got the ball and found Nicholas Pipher for the opening goal. The lead was doubled by the Wolves as Gerhardt scored a minute later. However, Thiel settled into the game and scored a pair of goals to tie at 2-2. Root and Gerhardt scored to re-establish the two-goal lead, but Thiel scored in the final seconds on the man-up to make it a one-goal game after one.

Keuka College took advantage of an extra-man opportunity to start the second quarter with Ian Rickard setting up Matt Jerman for a goal. The Tomcats got the two goals back to tie the game at 5-5, but the Wolves answered right back. Jerman scored to give the Wolves the lead. Castillo then won the faceoff and Rickard found the back of the goal 26 seconds later for the two-goal advantage once again. Thiel got one back on the man-up but Rickard scored right back for the Wolves. Just before halftime, Robert Hill caused another turnover to stop the Thiel clear. Daniel Rustay picked up the ground ball and raced in on goal, scoring with ten seconds left on the close as the Wolves led 9-6 at the half.

The Green and Gold carried an extra-man opportunity into the second half, and just like the second quarter, Keuka scored on the man-up in the opening minute, with Jerman getting the tally. Thiel got one goal back, but Keuka began to create separation. The Wolves outscored the Tomcats 5-2 in the third quarter. Pipher capped the scoring for the Wolves with a goal with 13 seconds remaining in the quarter as Keuka College carried a 14-8 advantage into the final frame.

Keuka College put the game away in the fourth, outscoring Thiel 7-3. The two teams traded goals to start the quarter, then Keuka went on a five-goal run. Pipher got the first goal just 19 seconds after a goal by Thiel thanks to another faceoff win by Enrique Castillo. Frankie Rivera had a three-point streak as he scored a goal, set up Aiden Nice for a goal, and then scored his second to extend the lead to ten at 20-10. Jake Lettieri capped the scoring as the Wolves defeated Thiel 21-11 to open the season.

KC Notes:

• The Wolves are now 2-0 all-time against Thiel College. Keuka College defeated the Tomcats 16-8 last season
• Dylan Hoad made three saves in goal for the win
• Enrique Castillo won 17 faceoffs and collected 13 ground balls for the Wolves. As a team, Keuka was 20-34 on faceoffs
• 17 wins for Castillo tied his career-high and also tied for the ninth-most in a game in program history. His 13 ground balls tied for sixth-most for Keuka College Men's Lacrosse and set a new career best for the senior
• The Wolves were a perfect 15-15 on clearing attempts

Up Next for Keuka College: Now with the season opener under their belt, the Wolves will prepare for their home opener. Keuka College will be back at the Jephson Community Athletic Complex for a pair of games this week. The Wolves will host Lycoming College under the lights at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 6. Keuka will then face Concordia University Wisconsin for the first time in program history, hosting the Eagles on Friday afternoon.