KALAMAZOO, Mich. - Albion College outscored Kalamazoo College, 9-2, over the final three quarters to surge to an 11-3 victory over its Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association rival in men's lacrosse.
John Cooke broke a 1-1 tie with his fourth goal of the season as time expired in the first quarter.
Cameron Braun and David DiRado tacked on goals in the first two minutes of the second quarter as Albion extended the margin to 4-1.
Alex McDonell brought Kalamazoo within two with an extra man score with 10 ½ minutes left in the second, but that was as close as the Hornets would get as Dylan Neal and DiRado boosted the Albion lead to 6-2 at halftime.
Neal added two goals in the third quarter, giving him his second game this year with at least three goals.
Braun scored 31 seconds apart late in the fourth quarter, giving him six games this season with at least three goals.
Braun and Neal also dished out assists.
"Kalamazoo tried several ways to shut down Braun, but he still found the back of the net," Albion Head Coach Jake DeCola said.
DiRado and Dominic Hamper finished with two goals apiece.
While the goal scorers grabbed the headline, DeCola said talk in the Briton program was about buckling down on defense. Goalkeeper Brad Bogus stopped seven of the 10 shots he faced.
"We wanted to play well on that end today," DeCola said. "Matt Lowes had a stellar day with a few takeaways and great work in the clear. Bogus was also strong and that fueled the fire on defense."
Albion returns home Tuesday night for a 7 o'clock contest against Adrian College.