Prior to today's home game against Lycoming, Eastern University Head Men's Lacrosse Coach Brandon Childs tried to change up routines to get off to a faster start, but the Eagles found themselves in 5-0 hole early, and their comeback effort fell short as they lost 13-11. Eastern senior Nick Mandia scored 6 goals to lead the comeback, but the visitors converted on five of seven extra man opportunities to take the game.

The visitors scored three and a half minutes in to take a 1-0 lead and then scored two straight goals in an 11 second span as Lycoming face-off specialist Michael Doherty  followed up an Edward Williams strike with a fast break goal. The Warriors scored a man-up goal 50 seconds later and Williams finished the period with his second of the day with 11 seconds on the clock.

Michael Ryan fired a shot to the upper corner to finally get the Eagles on the board three and a half minutes into the second period.Lycoming answered with a goal 90 seconds later to take a 6-1 edge. The game seemed to then shift gears for the Eagles, and Pat Dempsey put away a pass from Ryan to cut the Warrior lead to 6-2.

Ben O'Donnell finished a Nick Mandia pass from behind the goal with 3:41 to play to further cut into the lead. Matt Mandia forced a turnover in the Eastern box, and Joey Wilmot ran the clear straight to the Lycoming goal. The first year midfielder beat the last Warrior defender and tucked home his second of the year to send the teams to the locker rooms at 6-4. 

Lycoming held a 21-13 edge in shots and a dominating 9-1 edge in face-offs, but the Eagles had battled back into the game. 

The visitors started the third period with two straight goals to go up 8-4. Their first came at even strength from Shea Conway, and Nathan Walter scored on another man-up opportunity to build the Lycoming lead to four goals with eleven minutes to go in the third. Mandia answered with his first of the day, but Walter answered back with another man-up goal a minute later.

Eastern then scored three straight to close the gap to 9-8 at the end of the period. O'Donnell scored his second of the day off a loose ball just outside the crease with 7:35 to play, and then Mandia scored two straight on great individual efforts from behind the cage. 

The Eastern momentum at the end of the third was nullified by three straight Warrior goals in a three minute stretch to start the fourth.Mandia answered with another tally, but another extra man chance led to another Lycoming goal from Walter just seconds after Mandia had cut the score to 12-9.

Mandia scored twice more to draw the Eagles to within two goals, but the visitors were able to run out the clock and escape with an important MAC win. For the game, the Eagles put 25 shots on goal to the Warriors 23, but Kyle Gilfoy stopped 14 Eastern shots to earn the win. Doherty finished the day with a decided 20-6 edge on face-offs. Walter and Conway each had three goals for the visitors.

Childs said of the day, "We tried to do different things to get ourselves to start quicker, but that first quarter really hurt us. We gave too many extra man chances, and we did not take advantage of our man-up chances. Nick really battled to get us back into it, but we put ourselves in too deep a hole early."

The Eagles travel to Manhattanville College for an important MAC game on Wednesday.