KEENE, N.H. - The Bowdoin College men's lacrosse team jumped out to a six-goal lead and held off a late rally to defeat Keene State, 10-7, on Wednesday evening.

The 15th-ranked Polar Bears improve to 3-1 this season while the Owls fall to 1-4 on the year.

Patrick Lawlor finished with two goals and an assist for the Polar Bears, while sophomore Franklin Reis was the only other Bowdoin player with multiple goals, scoring tallies in the second and fourth quarter. Bowdoin won the battle of the face-offs, with Brendan Hughes winning 12-of-20 opportunities and scooping up 15 groundballs.

The Polar Bears defense shut-out the Owls offensively in the first half, while Bowdoin put up a half-dozen on the scoreboard. Keene State had their best opportunity of the first half, when junior attack Taylor Jette hit the post with 30 seconds remaining in the period only to lead to a Lawlor fast-break goal to give Bowdoin the 6-0 advantage with only seven seconds left.

Trailing 7-1 heading into the fourth quarter the Owls found their stride a little too late, scoring six goals in the period, including three in the final two minutes.

Chris Williamson made 12 saves in a stellar defensive effort between the pipes for Bowdoin. Maxwell Rosner forced three turnovers and picked up four ground balls for the Bowdoin defense.

The Polar Bears outshot KSC 47-32 in the game. Both teams fared well on clears, with KSC finishing 19-of-23, while Bowdoin completed 22-of-25.