BROCKPORT, N.Y. – Nazareth's men's lacrosse team defeated host Brockport 13-7 in an Empire 8 Conference contest on Wednesday afternoon. McLean Ralston amassed nine saves in the opening quarter to stymie the Golden Eagles early, and Kyle Rosenberger and Quinn McKercher scored three times apiece in the first half to help the Golden Flyers build a 10-4 lead after the first 30 minutes.
With the win, Nazareth secured the No. 2 seed for the Empire 8 Championship. Nazareth will host the winner of the No. 3 vs. No. 6 first round game in a semifinal on May 1. 

The Golden Flyers are now 11-5 overall and 7-1 in Empire 8 action. Following the loss, Brockport drops to 7-8 overall and 4-4 in conference games.

After the Golden Eagles scored in the opening minute, the Golden Flyers responded with the next three goals in a span of 2:31. Rosenberger put Nazareth on the board at the 12:24 mark of the first quarter after receiving a pass from Matthew Farrington, who was behind the goal. McKercher provided the Golden Flyers their first lead of the game when he drove down the right alley for the unassisted goal. Farrington had the third goal after putting a shot inside the left post. From the right wing, McKercher passed inside to Farrington to set up the scoring chance. Following a Brockport goal in transition, Owen Riley fired a pass to Rosenberger at the doorstep of the crease, who gave Nazareth the 4-2 lead at the end of the first.

The Golden Flyers needed just 31 seconds to score in the second quarter. From behind the net, McKercher found Rosenberger in front of the Brockport goal, and Rosenberger converted a highlight-reel, behind-the-head shot that found the bottom right corner of the goal. 

The Golden Eagles cut their deficit to two goals, 5-3, with 11:53 to play in the second. Nazareth answered with a decisive 5-0 scoring run spanning 5:07 to take a 10-3 lead with 4:52 to play in the half. 

William Meagher ignited the run after using a screen and burying a long shot. Joey Hathorn had the next goal after beating his defender and putting a shot inside the right post. The Golden Flyers drew a man-up opportunity on Hathorn's goal, and McKercher scored 37 seconds later on his shot from near the top of the restraining area. 

Roughly a minute later, McKercher found the back of the Brockport net again. Riley passed across the box, and McKercher converted on a high shot. Hathorn capped the scoring run after getting around his defender and scoring inside the right post.

The second half featured stingy defense as each team only scored three times. The Golden Eagles tallied three goals in the third quarter to trim their deficit to 10-7, however, they never threatened Nazareth's lead. Brockport's goalie Jack Acker made 14 saves between Hathorn's goal in the second quarter and McKercher's tally in the fourth. Acker finished with 24 saves on the day.

McKercher broke the Golden Flyers' drought with his fourth goal of the game with 6:03 left in regulation. After passing with Hathorn, McKercher used space to step into his shot. Farrington and Hathorn added goals in the closing minutes to extend the Golden Flyers' advantage to 13-7.

Nazareth's defense held Brockport scoreless for the final 15:43 to secure the victory, and it forced Brockport into 15 turnovers over the course of the game. Ralston finished with 14 saves to record the win.

The Golden Flyers were dominant in faceoff victories and shots. Nazareth won 18-of-23 faceoffs with Jakob Denkenberger claiming 14-of-18, Cole Doldo taking 3-of-4, and Parker Wilcox winning his only opportunity. The Golden Flyers outshot the Golden Eagles 53-34, including 37-21 in shots on goal.

Nazareth closes the regular season on Saturday with a conference game against Sage at 1 p.m. for Senior Day at NLPA Field.