#17 Mavericks Pull Ahead Late to Defeat Men's Lacrosse

DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. –  The Frostburg State men's lacrosse team lost on the road to No. 17 Mercy by a final score of 9-7.

Frostburg started the game off with a face-off win from senior Alex Walstrum, who still had the top win percentage in the country coming into the day. From there both teams traded shots on goal before the Mavericks would open the scoring going up 1-0 in the third minute of the game. Mercy took the resulting face-off and forced senior goalkeeper Logan Covey into a trio of saves before the Bobcats had a shot on offense. MU goaltender Cameron Dorfman made a pair of saves either side of FSU hitting the post before another tally with just under two minutes left gave the hosts a 2-0 lead. After senior Gregg Dort, Jr. picked up a win in the X, sophomore Luke Aspnes scored for the Bobcats, making things 2-1 before heading the second quarter.

The Mavericks began the second frame on the front foot, forcing Covey into back-to-back saves before getting two goals in the first four minutes to stretch their lead to 4-1. Senior Landon Bruce would cause a turnover that set up the second FSU goal of the day, as senior Tyrin Long would find sophomore Luke Roach for the score. Covey and Dorfman would trade saves beofre Long then added a goal of his own to make the game 4-3. Looking to tie the game, sophomore Henry Sykes was denied by Dorfman, while at the other end Mercy added another goal to make it 5-3. FSU would get a man-up opportunity to finish the quarter and wouldn't waste it, as with five seconds on the clock Sykes fed Roach to only trail one goal going to half at 5-4. 

MU had been whistled for another penalty at the end of the second, giving FSU the ball and a man-up to start the third. In a role-reversal, this time Roach fed Sykes to get to a 5-5 tie, For a couple minutes, a low-scoring contest up to that point became a goal-fest, with Mercy tacking on a pair of goals either side of a Roach tally, regaining a 7-6 lead with 11 minutes still in the period. Both sides then had trouble finding their shooting sticks, firing opportunities wide with Dorfman ensuring his team stayed in the lead. The Mavericks would add to that lead with five and a half to go in the quarter, taking advantage of an offside for a man-up tally. The Bobcats were able to get consistent opportunities to get back into the game, but a combination of Dorfman and the post kept them out for an 8-6 deficit after three.

Mercy would add an insurance goal early in the final period after another Dorfman stop to go up 9-6. Frostburg would continue their efforts on offense, firing away 13 shots and seeing two man-up opportunities but either couldn't find the target or were denied by Dorfman. Covey kept his team with a fighting chance, making six consecutive stops in net. With time ticking inside 30 seconds, sophomore Mike Gloekler would find the back of the net on a breakaway goal to get within two. Walstrum picked up the resulting face-off in hopes of a miracle, but a dorfman save combined with two off-target attempts left the final score at 9-7 Mercy. 

Roach led the offense with a hat trick and an assist, while senior Seamus Kearney joined Covey in the defensive effort with three caused turnovers and a game-high six groundballs, while the latter made 17 saves in net. 

With the loss the Bobcats are now 6-7 on the season, while Mercy rises to 7-3. FSU returns to action when they travel to Seton Hill on Wednesday, April 16 for a noontime start. For more information visit frostburgsports.com.