COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – Heavy doses of DeSimone and defense delivered a dominating performance for the Ursinus College men's lacrosse team, which routed McDaniel 13-3 in Centennial Conference action on a blustery Saturday afternoon.

Sophomore Peter DeSimone matched the program record with six goals and added two assists to tie his career high in points as the 17^th-ranked Bears (8-2, 3-1) extended their home winning streak to 16 with perhaps their most complete effort of the year.

Junior Gerard Brown finished with a goal and three assists while juniors Connor Ream and Pierre Atkinson and sophomore Patrick Bernicker recorded their first points of the season. The Bears racked up 45 shots, forced a season-high 26 turnovers, and converted on four of six man-up chances in winning their seventh in a row against the Green Terror (5-7, 0-4).

DeSimone came out firing on all cylinders, needing only 3:41 of game time to secure his fourth hat trick of the season. His first goal came off his own rebound, as he scooped up the ricochet from a long-range effort, worked to his left and slung a left-handed shot into the back of the net to open the scoring.

DeSimone struck again 30 seconds later, as a Green Terror turnover led to a run-out and a routine finish from the sophomore on a nice look from Ream, who notched his second career point. It was only 90 seconds later when DeSimone snuck another lefty launch past Ruygrok, giving Ursinus a 3-0 lead less than four minutes in.

Junior Gerard Brown expanded the margin to 4-0 with a leaping shot from the left wing just a few ticks into an extra-man opportunity. Carson Marshall got McDaniel on the board before senior Conor Fitzgerald cashed in on another man-up chance, bouncing a low shot from the right wing on a feed from DeSimone, who put up four points in the first frame alone.

Freshman Joe Donnelly made it 6-1 early in the second quarter, dashing in from the right side and finishing with a high shot in close for his third goal of the year. A turnover led to the Bears' next tally, as senior Zach Jones started a fast break with an upfield pass to sophomore Patrick Bernicker, who found freshman Bobby McClure on the run. McClure dished off to junior Ian Desenberg at the left post, and a quick feed across the crease to DeSimone facilitated a wide-open goal to complete a beautiful tic-tac-toe sequence.

DeSimone played facilitator again, hitting a cutting Desenberg for a third consecutive man-up conversion and an 8-1 lead with 5:28 to play in the half. Marshall netted his second in the final 10 seconds of the half to make it an 8-2 game at the break.

DeSimone matched his career high with his fifth goal at the 10:37 mark of the third, powering home a pass from Brown, and Bernicker registered his first of the season on a pass from Desenberg to make it 10-2 midway through the third. Junior Lou Harrison got in on the fun with another man-up conversion, and Ursinus went up by double digits at 12-2 when McClure finished a perfect over-the-top pass from Atkinson, who logged his first collegiate assist and second career point with 2:05 on the timer.

DeSimone, who also collected six ground balls, became the first Bear since Dave Kraus in 2012 – and the fifth overall – to score six goals in a game with 12:31 remaining on an assist from freshman Evan Scott.

The Bears' defense was disruptive from the jump, causing 11 turnovers in the first quarter and consistently creating advantages in transition. Sophomore Sam Isola put a big hit on a Green Terror midfielder during a clearing attempt, and the Green and Yellow had little room to maneuver all afternoon.

Jones put up career highs with seven ground balls, including the 100th of his career, and four caused turnovers to anchor the back line, with senior Matthew Cioeta and freshmen John Lyman and Nolan Sachs causing two miscues apiece.

Sophomore Elliott Shevitz was a wall between the pipes, notching 12 saves before giving way to sophomore Nick Kirk, who made four stops in the final 9:03.

The men's lacrosse team takes to the road to challenge first-place Franklin & Marshall in a nationally ranked clash on Saturday, April 15.