OWINGS MILLS, Md. – Third-ranked RIT jumped out to a 9-1 lead after one quarter en route to a 18-9 victory over No. 7 Stevenson University in men's lacrosse Saturday evening at Mustang Stadium.  The game marked the season opener for the Tigers, while the Mustangs now stand 1-1 on the season.

Ryan Lee finished with eight goals to lead RIT, while Kyle Sterzin registered three and Cam Isaac and Chad Levick two.  Sterzin also had a pair of assists.

Seniors Matt Tompkins and Stephen Banick each notched two goals apiece for the Mustangs, with junior Kyle D'Onofrio posting a goal and two assists.  Junior Wade Korvin notched a goal and an assist, while seniors Morgan Pritchett and Dylan Muti and junior Bryce Spruill each had single tallies.

Lee got the Tigers on the board just 1:16 into the game on an assist from Sterzin before back-to-back Levick scores made it 3-0 at the 10:25 mark.  RIT increased its lead to 5-0 before Banick scored with 7:02 left in the first on an extra man opportunity to get Stevenson on the board.  The guests rattled off the final four goals of the first quarter, and Lee's goal with three seconds left made it 9-1.

Korvin scored on a man-up situation with 11:29 left in the second quarter to make it 11-2, but the Tigers scored twice in a span of 24 seconds on a one-minute non-releasable penalty to go up 13-2 with nine minutes to go.  Muti scored at 8:24 and Pritchett at 4:56 to make it 11-4, but Sterzin responded just 11 seconds later off the faceoff.  Banick and Tompkins closed out the half with goals to make it 13-6 at intermission.

The third quarter saw just three combined goals, with Lee scoring 1:38 into the frame.  Spruill scored at the 11-minute mark, and D'Onofrio took advantage of the man advantage to pull Stevenson within 14-8 after three quarters. RIT scored the first three goals of the fourth in the first 5:55 to make it 17-8.

RIT generated a slight 39-38 shot advantage, but was 20-29 at the faceoff X, with Matt Hossack winning 18 of 25 draws for the Tigers, collecting 15 ground balls in the process.  Four of Stevenson's nine goals came with the man advantage, going 4-9, while RIT was 3-6 in man-up situations. 

Jarryd Lee went the distance in goal for RIT and made 12 saves, while senior Connor Skeen played the final 50:45 in goal after relieving starter Ben Richards and made nine saves while surrendering 11 goals.

Defensively, sophomore Dom DeFazio finished with five ground balls and three caused turnovers for the Mustangs.

Stevenson returns to action next Saturday, March 5, when it hosts Western New England University in a 7:00 contest at Mustang Stadium.