PURCHASE, N.Y. – The Cairn University men's lacrosse team snagged their first win of the 2023 campaign with a 6-5 triumph on the road at non-conference adversary Purchase College on Saturday afternoon, ending their four-game road trip with a victory.
 
"Just an all-around, great team win." remarked Head Coach Stephen Hogan. "The boys played hard and Purchase put us in a dogfight. It was going to come down to who wanted it more and our guys finished the fight. I'm incredibly proud of them and all the hard work they've put in this season."
 
Cairn (1-4) took an early 2-0 lead over Purchase (2-4) courtesy of two goals by junior Jonathan Balsamo (Long Island, NY / Eastport South Manor) in the opening period. Purchase notched their first tally midway through the second stanza to cut the lead to 2-1, before Balsamo netted his third with less than a minute to go before halftime as Cairn carried a 3-1 lead into intermission.
 
After Purchase scored the first goal of the second half, the Highlanders responded with a goal by freshman Ryan Gallagher (Mount Airy, MD / South Carroll) and Balsamo with his fourth of the night to take a 5-2 lead in the fourth quarter. Purchase did not go away, scoring three of the next four goals to cut the deficit to one (6-5) with 4:58 to play. The Panthers generated two quality scoring chances in the final minutes, but Cairn sophomore net minder Nico Cione (Yardley, PA / Pennsbury) turned away both shots to seal the win.
 
Balsamo led the scoring output for Cairn, tying a career-high with five goals on 15 shots. Cione was outstanding in the cage, corralling a game-high 19 saves and earning the win in the process.
 
The Highlanders will aim for their second-straight victory on Wednesday, March 22 when they return home for the first time in over a month to take on Centenary University (NJ) in a non-conference tilt inside the Stillman Complex at 7 p.m.