DANVILLE, Ky. (CentreColonels.com) – The Centre men's lacrosse team posted a 19-2 rout of Mt. St. Joseph in the 2017 season opener on Saturday afternoon at Farris Stadium. The Colonels (1-0) pick up a victory in their first game of the season for the second consecutive season.

The Lions (0-1) opened scoring in the contest when Jesse Purdy found the back of the cage just under six minutes into the game, before Centre answered with seven consecutive goals to gain a 7-1 advantage in the second quarter with seven scores each from different Colonels.

Mt. St. Joseph responded with a goal by Kevin McClanahan to shrink the Centre lead to 7-2 with 5:39 to play in the first half.

However, it was all Colonels from there, as Centre netted 12 unanswered goals to cap the 19-2 triumph.

The Colonels would score on three more occasions in the first half before outscoring the Lions 9-0 in the second half of action.

Eleven different Centre players recorded a goal in the win paced by senior midfielder Austin Zehnder (Prospect, Ky.) and junior attackman Dominic Peluso (Redondo Beach, Calif.) each scoring four goals apiece. Zehnder added a pair of assists for the Colonels, as well.

Freshman midfielder Noah Hull (Decatur, Ga.) finished with a hat trick to go with two assists in his collegiate debut, while sophomore attackman Leland Gray (Louisville, Ky.) had a goal to go with two assists for Centre.

Sophomore attackman Graeme Warner (Kent, Ohio), senior long stick midfielder Mason Paas (Louisville, Ky.), senior midfielder Lorenzo Powell (Newcastle, Wash.), junior midfielder Pierce Barber (Louisville, Ky.) and freshman attackman John Morrison (Franklin, Tenn.) each added a goal and an assist in the win. Paas added eight ground balls and three caused turnovers for the Colonels.

Freshman midfielder Will Anderson (Hixson, Tenn.) tallied a goal in his first career game, while junior attackman Austin Glang (Fayetteville, Ga.) found the back of the cage once in the triumph, as well.

Sophomore midfielder Emerson Prager (Colchester, Vt.) chipped in a pair of assists on the afternoon. Freshman defenders Tommy Hood (Lafayette, Calif.) and Adam Johnson (Apple Valley, Minn.) along with freshman midfielder Vincent Pisacano (Lexington, Ky.) and senior midfielder Bryant Portwood (Charlotte, N.C.) each recorded an assist for Centre.  

Freshman midfielder Lucas Mozingo (Chattanooga, Tenn.) was 22-of-25 on faceoffs for the Colonels to go with a game-high nine ground balls.

Senior defender Jake Marfise (Tampa, Fla.) tallied a game-high four caused turnovers to go with four ground balls to buoy the Centre defense.

Junior goalkeeper Sam Long (Cincinnati, Ohio) collected the win for the Colonels, making a save in the victory. Senior goaltender Tom Whalen (Massapequa, N.Y.) recorded three saves between the pipes for Centre.

Mt. St. Joseph goalie Mike Weil made 27 saves and finished with eight ground balls in the contest.  

The Colonels outshot the Lions 68-19 including 46-6 in shots on goal. Centre also held a 49-16 advantage in ground balls.

Centre was 94.1 percent (16-of-17) on clears on the afternoon.

The Colonels return to action next Saturday, Feb. 25 hosting Hanover at 12 p.m. ET at Farris Stadium. Centre defeated the Panthers 10-9 on the road in 2016.