The No. 17 Lindenwood men's lacrosse team prevailed 6-5 over No. 4 Tampa in a game for the ages on Saturday from Hunter Stadium. The Lions' upset victory was over the highest ranked team in program history.
 
The Spartans of Tampa struck first in the opening quarter when they scored at the 8:19 mark in an attempt to jumpstart momentum. However, the Lions attacked right back at the 5:57 mark when they blocked a Spartan shot followed by a groundball scooped up by Ben Besancenez. Nate Campana was given the ball, and he glided in stride across the field for a successful clear attempt. He went further and unleashed a shot from the right side of the field for the goal and 1-1 tie.
 
After winning the faceoff preceding the goal, the Lions continued to apply pressure on the Spartan defense.  They passed the ball around the goal two times before Sam Heaton got the ball on the right wing. Heaton scoped out Max Troha who ran towards the middle to gather the pass from Heaton then launched his third goal of the season at the 4:42 mark. The Lion players erupted in celebration to keep the adrenaline pumping. Tampa would retaliate with a goal of their own with just four seconds left in the first quarter to tie the game up at two scores apiece.  
 
The Lions made their mark first in the second quarter thanks to another Sam Heaton assist that this time converted into a Kevin Eskridge goal at the 11:21 mark.  The Spartans responded with their third goal of the game when they had a man-up opportunity with 9:46 left. Six minutes later, Tampa regained the lead 4-3 off an unassisted goal, giving it their first lead since the beginning of the opening quarter. The Lions won the faceoff then took a timeout with 2:27 left. Josh Coons, who scored five goals and garnered his 100th career point against Shorter last weekend, came in the clutch for the Lions and scored the game-tying goal just before halftime. Henry Wurzer connected with Coons for the assist on the crucial play.
 
Tampa would win the opening faceoff in the second half, but the Lion defense arrived ready to lock the Spartans down quickly. Sean Darroch forced a turnover, gathered the groundball, and passed to David Corazalla for the successful clear. Corazalla dished a swift pass forward towards Connor Eskridge, and Eskridge registered his third goal of the season and a 5-4 lead for the Lions at the 13:44 mark. The Lions kept putting pressure on the Spartans as they shot four different times preceding the Eskridge goal. However, Tampa found an opportunity off a Lindenwood-turnover. The Spartans managed to crowd around Besancenez on the right wing and scored another game-tying goal with 3:28 remaining in the third quarter. Both teams headed into the final quarter with a 5-5 tightly-contested game.
 
During the majority of the fourth quarter, defense was the theme. The Spartans shot just three times compared the Lions' two up until the 2:15 mark. Also, both team turned the ball over four times each.
 
Corazalla held the ball until Kevin Eskridge approached near him. The two connected for the upset-winning goal with 2:15 left in the game. The Spartans desperately tried scoring again by shooting twice, but the Lion defense stood tall. Tampa had one last chance with 13 seconds left, but Matt Leonard ended its hopes by forcing a turnover on the left-outside wing to seal the deal.
 
All statistical categories were close just like the outcome of the game. The Lions outshot the Spartans by a 28-20 margin while picking just one more groundball than the Spartans. Lindenwood committed just one more turnover than Tampa, but won the faceoff battle with a 10 of 14 conversions.
 
After the massive upset, the Lions improve their record to 2-0 on the year. They will travel to Cincinnati, Ohio for a neutral-site game against No. 1 Le Moyne on Saturday, Feburary 25. The first faceoff is scheduled at 11 am CT.