ST. DAVIDS, Pa.– A slow start proved to be too much to overcome as Eastern University Men's Lacrosse dropped a 15-9 decision to the No. 16 York College Spartans. The visiting Spartans (10-4, 3-0) scored ten of the first 13 goals in the game and never allowed the Eagles to string three goals together the rest of the way.
After both teams scored on their first possession —
Brennan Kaut ripped home a low-to-low effort to tie the game at one— the Spartans went up 3-1 with eight minutes to play in the opening quarter.
Frankie Fanelli pulled one back with a great inside finish on a pass from Ryan Willamson.
After
Zachary Klym made a great save on the ensuing possession, the Eagles had a great chance to tie the game, but
Christopher Fanelli's step-down effort from the right side hit the inside of the back post. A York defender won the race to back up the ball on the sideline, and the Spartan run started.
After York scored three-straight,
Nick Litzenberger scored a man-up goal off a pass from Kaut to close the gap to 6-3 with 33 seconds left. The Spartans, however, had an answer and scored with ten seconds left for a 7-3 lead after one quarter. The man-up goal was the ninth extra-man strike for Litzenberger this year.
York won eight of the first ten faceoffs and had an 11-6 edge in first-quarter shots.
In the second quarter, the Eagles flipped the script at the faceoff dot, winning five of seven draws, but they were unable to convert the extra possessions into goals. York led 11-5 at halftime.
Brett Gougler and Litzenberger scored back-to-back goals midway through the period.
The Eagles had multiple chances to cut the lead to four, but each time the York defense stood strong. The Spartans again scored with ten seconds left to end the quarter.
Litzenberger,
Christopher Fanelli, Gougler, and
Brett Williamson each scored in the second half. York goalie Nash Womack made eight second-half stops, including several stunners, to keep the Eagles from building a big run.
Zach Puckett led the Eastern defense with four caused turnovers and three ground balls.
Sean Dendall forced two turnovers and blocked a shot on the edge of the crease.
The Eagles made the MAC Commonwealth Tournament as a four-seed last year. This year's schedule had them playing the other three playoff teams on the first three conference dates. The Eagles have three of their final four games at home. They will host Alvernia on Wednesday afternoon and will play at Albright on Friday.
