Worcester, Mass. – Visiting MIT raced out to a commanding 7-0 lead and never looked back in posting an impressive 11-5 win over host Clark University in Pilgrim League lacrosse action on a sun splashed Granger Field on Saturday afternoon.

With the win, the Engineers (4-9, 2-3 Pilgrim) keep their postseason hopes alive in advance of their season-ending showdown with Massachusetts-Maritime on Monday evening.

As they did a season ago, MIT ended Clark's bid at their first-ever postseason berth in the Cougars' last regular season contest. Last year it was three straight goals at the end of regulation and the game-winner in double overtime that sent the Engineers into the playoffs on the season's final day. This year, MIT took control early, getting a first quarter hat trick from Chris Cook (Tully, N.Y.) to sprint to a 4-0 lead.

That advantage ballooned to a seven goal difference as Jonah Hessels (Poolesville, Md.), Paul Orrson (Baltimore, Md.) and Cook all scored heading into halftime.

Clark finally got on the board in the opening minutes of the third period when Alex Turgeon (Holden, Mass.) sprinted the length of the field and found Jeffrey Wasson (Buckhorn, Ontario) open for a goal at 13:22.

MIT answered back with goals from Bill Kelleher (Pittsburgh, Pa.) with help from Chris McPherson (Gaithersburg, Md.) and another from John Kramer (Glastonbury, Conn.) less than 30 seconds apart, making the score 9-1.

As the quarter closed the Cougars scored two goals of their own. The first off of another excellent Turgeon feed, this one to Rob Holden (East Longmeadow, Mass.) and then an unassisted tally by Luke Dunn (Amherst, Mass.) with just two seconds on the clock.

Clark scored the first goal of the fourth quarter in rather unique fashion. Playing a man down, Cougar reserve netminder Daniel Marcus (Boca Raton, Fla.) made a save then attempted to burn off the penalty by flinging a long pass to the other end of the field. His pass sailed through the air, bounced up over an Engineer defenders' outstretched stick and in the waiting arms of Wasson, who took two steps and fired a shot past MIT backstop Christopher Rullan (Wexford, Pa.).

Undeterred with the score 9-5, MIT added an unassisted marker from Jake Slonaker (West Windsor, N.J.) less than a minute after Wasson's improbable score.

Clark got another tally when Zach Duffy (Wakefield, Mass.) fed Jacob Maselek (Marblehead, Mass.), but the Engineers locked up the win with another Orrson goal with 6:47 left.

Both goalkeepers were strong in net, as Rullan turned back 20 shots and scooped up a team-best eight groundballs, while Kevin Ranta (Beverly, Mass.) stopped 19.

Cook totaled a game-high four scores, while both Slonaker and Orrson each added a pair for MIT and Hessels chipped in with a goal and an assist.

For the Cougars, Wasson led the squad with a pair of goals, giving him 40 on the season for the second consecutive season – the first player in school history to accomplish that feat.

Turgeon, meanwhile, had his best day of the season, finishing with a pair of assists, a game-high 11 groundballs and a strong showing at the faceoff "X" where he won 12-of-18.

For Clark (7-7), the loss is a disappointing end to what is the first season in the 23-year history of the program that won't end with a losing record. The Cougars' senior class of Matthew Cavicchi (Townsend, Mass.), Sean Droogan (Fitchburg, Mass.) and Nick Figliola (Weston, Conn.) will graduate as the winningest class in school history (25).