The men’s lacrosse team posted a victory over the Manhattan College Jaspers Saturday afternoon at the Villanova Stadium. The 12-6 shootout saw goals from eight different Wildcats, including four with two goals each, and put the squad just over .500 with a record of 5-4. Senior Chris Colliniates also broke a school record for career groundballs during the game.

The Wildcats notched a goal within the first minute of each period during the game. Villanova jumped to an early 2-0 lead in only two minutes of play with goals from seniors Andy German and Eric Webber. Fellow senior Eric Heidenberger started his scoring early, supplying the only assist on German’s tally before going on to lead the team in scoring with two goals and two assists on the day. Despite a goal from Manhattan’s Brian Murray, the Villanova defense held the Jaspers to four shots in the first period and seven in the first half. The Wildcats continued to dominate the scoreboard through the first 30 minutes of play, and the only two goals of the second period came from the home team. Senior Mike Haas and junior Chris MacDonald each recorded unassisted goals to extend Villanova’s lead to 4-1.

‘Nova’s offensive drive did not let down in the second portion of the game. German scored his second goal of the game just 40 seconds into the third period, with Heidenberger following suit 30 seconds later. Manhattan netted two quick goals to cut its deficit in half, but Villanova’s tight defensive and vivacious offensive efforts never let the Jaspers gain any real offensive momentum. The Wildcats responded with two goals, including Heidenberger’s second of the game and a tally from freshman Richard Lyons. The goal was the first of Lyons’ short career. A late goal from the Jaspers followed, bringing the score to 8-4 heading into the final 15 minutes of play.

The fourth period proved to be record-breaking. Colliniates picked up his 287th career groundball, breaking the old Villanova record set by Owen Corso during the 2003 season. The Wildcats’ junior class dominated the team’s scoring in the final period. Jay Foley notched two goals and an assist, while classmates Tim Atkins and MacDonald also scored. Goalie Andrew DiLoreto recorded the win and eight saves in the match before sophomore Mike Bogdanor finished out the last 3:23 minutes between the pipes.

Villanova looks to maintain its winning record when it takes on the University of Delaware Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. before tackling Lehigh on Wednesday evening at 7 p.m. Both games will take place in the Villanova Stadium.

Staff reporter Mary Elizabeth Donovan also contributed to this report.