CENTER VALLEY, Pa.- Eastern University Lacrosse scored four times in the opening five minutes of play and ran to a 20-6 win at DeSales in the first Freedom Conference game of the year for both teams. Eastern (8-2, 1-0) had 14 different players record either a goal or an assist in the win.

Grant Ferguson scored four goals and added two assists, Zac Ivy had three goals and two assists and Chris Farrar had two goals and six assists as the first attacking line for Eastern. The trio scored 18 of their 19 points in the first half. Farrar had an assist midway through the second half. 

Farrar now has 85 goals and 74 assists in his career. He is second on Eastern's career list in each category. He will break the career points number set by Nick Mandia in 2009 with his next point, and he is three goals shy of Michael Ryan's career mark of 88. Ferguson now has 28 goals and 9 assists in his second season. He missed nearly all the Freedom Conference games last spring with injury. He has 49 goals and 23 assists in 23 total games.

The Eagles entered the game with a commitment to jumping out to a quick start. The Eagles had a goal disallowed for a crease violation in the opening minute, but forced a turnover on the clear and Ivy tucked in his first of the day from Ferguson. Seconds later, Farrar found Andy Jameson unmarked on the doorstep for a 2-0 lead. Farrar set up Desmond Decker at the 11 minute mark to force an early DeSales timeout.

The Eagles won the ensuing face-off and Ivy scored his second of the day on a feed from Ron Johnson. AJ went 8-of-15 at the X for the day, which is down from where he has been, but DeSales face-off specialist Brennan Gmeiner had been facing off at 70 percent coming into the day. The Eagles won 15 of the 29 face-offs in the game.

DeSales scored in transition to close the gap to 4-1, but Farrar set up Ferguson for his first with 6:44 to play. Andrew Travers then scored a highlight reel goal to increase the Eastern lead to 6-1. Andy Jameson secured a loose ball at the corner of the box and carried it toward goal. He fed Farrer on the far side, and Farrar found Travers just off the crease. Travers caught the ball facing his own goal and fired a blind shot over his shoulder for his first of two on the day.

After DeSales grabbed one back, Farrar finished a Ferguson pass for a 7-2 edge at the first break. Eastern held a 19-4 advantage in first-period shots.

Ferguson opened the scoring in the second period after he found an isolation against a short-stick midfielder at the goal line extended. DeSales again answered, but the Eagles came back with three goals in a minute. Ivy snapped home an eight yard shot off a feed from Travers, and Brendan Stouber powered home his second of the year in transition from Farrar. Ferguson made it 11-3 with 5:48 left in the half with a low-to-low shot from in a crowd. 

Ivy set up Ferguson and Farrar for the final two goals of the half. The first of the two came with the Eagles down a man for a delay call.

The Eagles got two goals apiece from JC Hofmeister and Sterling Long in the second half. Travers add his second. Brock Warner and Cody Ridgway also added tallies. Ridgway also had two assists.

The Eagles picked up an uncharacteristic five minutes of penalties, but the Eastern man-down unit was at 100 percent for the day.

"The game got physical," head coach Kevin Wallace stated, " and we wound getting those calls against us. We don't want that, but I thought our man down unit played well."

Aaron Benz made seven saves to pickup the win in goal. Pat Groschan, Nick DiPiano, and Mark Orebiyi also saw time in goal with one save each for the Eagles.

The Eagles host Manhattanville College on Wednesday afternoon at 4:00.