BIDDEFORD — The University of New England mens lacrosse team completed a comeback victory over visiting New England College 16-7 Wednesday afternoon.

After trailing 3-0 late in the first quarter, UNE went on an 8-1 run in the remainder of the first half which was enough to secure the win.

The Nor’easters received goals from eight different players, three of which scored three goals.

UNE coach Charlie Burch felt that patience was the key for his offense.

“I don’t think we made many adjustments. We lost a few face-offs early and their first goal was off a turnover. We just kept going and were waiting for our offense to break out,” said Burch.

Burch also felt that his team’s chemistry was a big part of them staying focused after falling behind.

“This is a tight-knit group, being down three points is not much in this game, but it seems like a lot when it happens so quickly,” said Burch. “This group didn’t panic, there was no panic on the sideline. Three goals isn’t much if you’re patient and take your time to get back.”

NEC took control early in the first quarter of action thanks to steady ball control on both ends of the field.

Just over two minutes into the match, NEC got on the board thanks to a goal from Sean Largay. Just 33 seconds later, Jarred Suasville added to the Pilgrims’ lead with another score, putting UNE behind 2-0.

The Pilgrims’ lead continued to grow in the first when captain William Pendleton muscled through a scrum in from of the UNE net and scored, giving NEC strong 3-0 lead late in the first.

UNE battled back and took back the momentum-starting with an unassisted goal from Tom Luttrell.

Forty seconds later, Connor Leggett caught a pass from Philip Young and scored to bring the Nor’easters within one.

The scoring flurry continued as David Rubenstein picked up the tying goal with 1:54 remaining in the first. As the final seconds waned in the opening quarter, UNE managed to take the lead thanks to a long distance goal from Andrew Curro.

The UNE lead grew early in the second quarter, as Luttrell scored his second goal just 2:02 into the period, bringing the Nor’easter lead to 5-3.

At the 10:12 mark, J.T. Oliver sent an impressive shot into the net from a squatted position, giving UNE even more insurance and a 6-3 lead.

Less than three minutes later, Matt Susca scored another Nor’easter goal, making it 7-3 midway through the second.

The Pilgrims were able to stop the bleeding when Pendleton scored his second goal at the 3:17 mark, however UNE answered back with 1:38 left when Curro scored his second goal, giving the Nor’easters an 8-4 lead heading into halftime.

The third quarter was slower, with each defense buckling down and pressing the opposition. Although NEC slowed down the Nor’easter attack for the opening minutes of the half, Young scored at the 6:56 mark to give UNE a 9-4 lead. Less than three minutes later, Curro completed the hat trick by scoring his third goal and giving UNE a 10-4 advantage.

NEC called a time out late in the period, and thanks to the adjustments made Pendleton was able to get a hat trick of his own and scoring the Pilgrims’ fifth point.

UNE responded when Luttrell scored his third point with seven seconds remaining, making it 11-5 heading into the final quarter.

The Nor’easters continued to add to the lead when Oliver scored his second goal just 59 seconds into the quarter.

Skylar Saunders scored NEC’s sixth goal less than a minute later, but once again UNE responded quickly with a goal from Sam Cloutier at the 10:03 mark.

Just over two minutes later, Leggett scored UNE’s fourteenth point, and 42 seconds after that, Oliver scored his third goal off a rebounded save.

Burch was happy with his team’s performance and feels his team will need confidence moving ahead.

“We have a tough weekend moving forward, we have back to back games and Tufts is nationally ranked. We have a lot of work to do but we are looking forward to it,” said Burch.

— Sports Staff Writer Alex Sponseller can be reached at [email protected] or at 282- 1535 ext. 323. Follow the Journal Tribune Sports Department on Twitter @JournalTsports.