Lions downed by Lincoln Memorial in physical contest
The Mars Hill (1-9, 0-4 SAC) men's lacrosse team was defeated by Lincoln Memorial (10-1, 4-0 SAC), 18-9, in a physical affair at the Ammons Family Athletic Center and Meares Stadium Wednesday afternoon.
MARS HILL, N.C. - The Mars Hill (1-9, 0-4 SAC) men's lacrosse team was defeated by Lincoln Memorial (10-1, 4-0 SAC), 18-9, in a physical affair at the Ammons Family Athletic Center and Meares Stadium Wednesday afternoon.
The Lions trailed 9-6 with seven minutes remaining in the third quarter before tensions arose, forcing both teams to take penalties. Mars Hill found themselves a man-down for five minutes where the Railsplitters took advantage, scoring three goals in that time. Goals from Billy Kopsky, Dylan Neisler and Kyle Arcuri put the Lions down by six with 3:14 remaining in the frame. Another penalty less than a minute later on the Lions resulted in another man-advantage tally for the Railsplitters from the stick of Chris Tucker.
Lincoln Memorial scored to start off the fourth quarter just 1:30 in when Nick Borriello scored his second of the game. Dima Ferreira answered for the Lions with his third of the contest less than a minute later, but the overpowering Railsplitters' offense would continue to add to their lead scoring three straight, including two from Robert Tucker. In the final 7:26 of the game, both teams traded two goals. Parker Beaudry and Ferreira bookended the scoring while Jared Courchene and Kairos Bodley scored the Railsplitters to secure the 18-9 win over Mars Hill.
In the first quarter, the Railsplitters built a 4-1 lead with goals scored from four different players. Neisler, Reggie Golfin, Adam Golia and Craig Settles each tallied in the first 15 minutes. Connor Fernandes scored at 8:32 of the first to get the Lions on the board.
In a role reversal from the first quarter, the Lions dictated play, scoring four of the six goals in the second frame. The Lions opened the quarter by scoring the first three goals. With less than two minutes gone in the frame, Ferreira scored his first of the goal of the game. Just over two minutes later, Zac Carrigan found the back of the net to pull the Lions within one. Ferreira's second of the quarter tied the game at four, but 44 seconds after his tally, Billy Kopsky regained the lead for the Railsplitters. With 4:15 left in the half, Jake Trafton's eighth of the year tied the game once more at five apiece. Borriello's first of the contest gave Lincoln Memorial a 6-5 lead heading into halftime.
The Lions were outshot 49-29 in the game and gave up six man-advantage tallies. Lincoln Memorial controlled the action, winning 23-of-31 faceoffs for their 10th win of the year, setting a new program benchmark.
Ferreira (4g, 2a) led the Lions with six points. Beaudry's two goals gave him two points on the afternoon. Golia (2g, 4a) paced the Railsplitters followed by Arcuri's five points with one goal and four assists.
Mars Hill returns to action on Saturday, March 31 with a South Atlantic Conference contest versus Catawba. The game is slated for a 3 p.m. start.
