BOSTON, Mass. - Junior attackman Julian Duque (Mastic, N.Y.) netted a game-high five goals and dished out a pair of assists as the Western Connecticut State University men's lacrosse team toppled host UMass Boston, 18-13, in a Little East Conference contest on Tuesday night.

Graduate student attackman Benjamin Hawthorne (Manorville, N.Y.) added two goals and three helpers, while classmate midfielder Tyler Starrett (Redding, Conn.) added a hat trick for the Wolves. Junior middie Matt Sweeney (Rocky Point, N.Y.) chipped in with a goal and a trio of assists. 

Luke Murphy led the Beacons with four scoring strikes and one assist, while Greg Wolff contributed a hat trick and one helper.

Despite being edged in shots, 48-39, and groundballs, 28-20, the visitors managed to capitalize on their offensive efficiency. Duque accounted for all the scoring in the first quarter, giving WestConn an early 2-0 advantage. 

They stretched it to 4-0 in the second when junior Nate Caldwell (Cranbury, N.J.) found the back of the net man-down before Duque converted the hat trick. UMass Boston answered with a trio of goals, slicing the deficit to 4-3. But the Wolves struck right back with five of the net six scoring strikes to seize a commanding 9-4 lead at halftime.

It was all WestConn in the the third as they blanked the hosts, 6-0, stretching the gap to 15-4 heading into the fourth. Graduate student faceoff specialist Jonathan Russack-Baker (Groton, Conn.) sparked the run, while Duque capped the barrage with his team-leading 35th marker of the season.

The Beacons tried to rally in the final stanza but they would not recover from the large deficit. However, they managed to slice the advantage to 18-13 with nine goals in the period. 

WestConn senior goalie Brendan Grove (Cheshire, Conn.) recorded 14 saves to earn the win, while James Boldy took the loss and stopped eight shots for the hosts. With the win, the Wolves improved to 7-4 overall and 2-1 in league play, while UMass Boston dropped to 9-5 and 3-1. 

"Big win for the team, a complete "WE" win! from top to bottom," said WestConn Head Coach Ryan Cavanagh. "Scout guys were great all week which was a major help in us preparing."

WestConn returns to action when they hosts Massachusetts Maritime Academy in yet another LEC tilt on Saturday at 1 p.m.