HAMBURG, N.Y. – The Hilbert College men's lacrosse team used a dominant second quarter to secure an 11-6 victory over Thiel College Saturday afternoon at Frontier High School.

The Hawks benefited from balanced scoring and tough defense to record a season-opening victory against Thiel for the second consecutive season.

Eric Capling and Ty Franko led Hilbert with three goals apiece while Aidan Franko and Kristopher Newman each finished with two goals. Nathanial Dell added one goal in the win.

The Hawks dominated on defense recording 22 caused turnovers led by Jonathan Roustum six which he paired with a game-best 12 ground balls.

Alex Arthur won 11-of-20 in the faceoff X and Jose Pizarro posted his first win in goal making 10 saves.

After a defensive opening quarter, the Hawks struck first when Eric Capling found the back of the net unassisted with 12:10 remaining in the period to give Hilbert an early 1-0 lead.

The Tomcats answered early in the second quarter, but the Hawks responded with a decisive offensive surge. Hilbert rattled off six goals in the final four minutes of the half to seize control of the game. Ty Franko, Capling, and Nathaniel Dell each scored during the stretch, while Aidan Franko connected on a pass from Kristopher Newman before Newman added another goal just seconds later to cap the run. The late push sent Hilbert into halftime with a commanding 7-1 advantage.

Capling extended the Hawks' lead early in the third quarter with his third goal of the game, completing his hat trick. Thiel attempted to claw back with three goals midway through the period, trimming the deficit to 8-4, but Hilbert answered with goals from Newman and Aidan Franko to maintain control heading into the final quarter.

The teams traded goals down the stretch as Ty Franko netted his third goal of the game in the fourth quarter to complete his hat trick and push the Hawks' total to 11.

All 15 Hawks filled the statsheet, recording at least one ground ball each and nine players were credited with at least one caused turnover.  Davon Dyson and Hunter Cleary each collected four caused turnovers in the collegiate debut.

The Hawks will hit the road midweek with a tough non-conference match up at SUNY Poly in Utica, NY March 11th.