STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – The Saint Joseph's men's lacrosse team scored the first ten goals of the game and cruised to a 15-6 victory over Wagner in Northeast Conference action at Hameline Field on Saturday afternoon. The Hawks, who have now won four straight, improve to 7-2 overall (2-0 NEC) while the Seahawks fall to 5-6 overall (0-2) NEC.

Senior midfielder Kevin Forster tallied a game-high five points on one goal and four assists while redshirt sophomore midfielder Hayes McGinley posted four points on two goals and two assists. Junior attackman Mike Rastivo (2g, 1a), junior midfielder Kevin Reidinger, senior attackman Pat Swanick, and freshman midfielder Jack Lombardo added two goals apiece. 10 Hawks scored and a total of 14 Hawks tallied at least one point in the victory.

Saint Joseph's won a season-high 21 possessions from the face-off in 25 opportunities for a season-high 84% from the X, in large part due to the 16-of-18 effort from junior specialist Mike Lanham, who added a game-best eight ground balls.

Nine different Hawks scored the first nine goals of the game before Reidinger, who had scored the game's first goal (13:20), closed out SJU's 10-goal run that spanned the first 23:49 with his second of the day at the 8:49 mark of the second quarter.

Wagner scored the last two goals of the half (5:13, 0:12) to close its deficit to eight goals, 10-2, at the halftime break.

Just 37 seconds into the third quarter, McGinley scored on a feed from Forster to put SJU back up by nine, and neither team would score again for over nine minutes before Rastivo put away his team-leading 21st goal of the season to put the Crimson and Gray back up by 10 goals, 12-2, with 4:38 to play in the third.

Wagner put together another pair of quick scores (3Q: 2:36, 4Q: 13:48) to close its deficit to eight, 12-4, but playing a man-up after a Seahawks cross-check penalty, Forster found Swanick on the EMO to extend SJU's lead back out to nine, 13-4, with 11:22 remaining in regulation.

The Seahawks chipped back with a goal at the 10:30 mark, but Lombardo answered with 6:00 to play to keep the Hawks at a nine-goal difference. The Seahawks scored again at the 2:26 mark, but Lombardo was once again there, this time scoring with just nine ticks on the scoreboard, to keep the score at a nine-goal differential for the 15-6 final.

For the game, Saint Joseph's owned a 40-28 advantage in shots, including a 24-8 first half, and won the ground ball battle 40-23. The Hawks also held the Seahawks scoreless in seven extra-man opportunities.

Junior goalkeeper T.J. Jones (7-2, 2-0 NEC) picked up his seventh win of the season, making eight saves and allowing five goals in the first 51:42. Sophomore goalkeeper Pat Dallon came in to make one save and allow one goal in the final 8:18.

Saint Joseph's returns home to face Sacred Heart in NEC action next Saturday, April 9. Opening face-off is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. on Sweeney Field.

GAME NOTES: With the victory, the Hawks have now won all 14 consecutive NEC regular-season games since joining the NEC in 2014... With seven wins through their first nine games, the Hawks are off to their best start since 2000... Saint Joseph's is now 17-0 all-time against Wagner and has outscored the Seahawks 57-26 through five games under the direction of head coach Taylor Wray.