WALTHAM, Mass. – A defensive battle between two top-10 ranked men's lacrosse teams saw #3 Saint Anselm defeat #10 Bentley 10-6 on a chilly Wednesday night.

The teams battled throughout the first three quarters with the Hawks leading by just 6-3. The offenses came to life in the fourth quarter and the teams combined for seven goals.

The Hawks scored the first two in a row in the opening 1:12 to take an 8-3 lead.

Bentley fought back with two quick goals of its own, from Nick Berglund and Brendan Varnerin, to cut the deficit to 8-5 with 10:55 remaining.

Saint Anselm responded with another 2-0 run to take a 10-5 lead and Bentley wasn't able to score again until a man-up goal by Varnerin with 3:40 remaining.

Varnerin, a sophomore, had his first career hat trick. Berglund had a team high four points on one goal and three assists.

Dante D'Amico went 11-18 in the faceoff circle with seven ground balls.

Next up for the Falcons (1-1) is their first road game of the season, on Saturday against St. Thomas Aquinas.