The No. 5-ranked Lindenwood men's lacrosse team fell in a 9-4 defensive battle to the University of Indianapolis on Saturday afternoon from Hunter Stadium.
In the first quarter, defense was the main theme. The Greyhounds attempted nine shots, but
Ben Besancenez saved five of them while the others sailed wide. The Lions recorded five shots that all were saved. Each team also forced two turnovers in which
Leonard Jones and
Jake Moran each registered one.
As the second quarter rolled in, the Lions struck first with two goals within 24 seconds of each other.
David Corazalla scored his 20th goal of the season off a deep pass from
Sean Darroch to give the Lions a 1-0 lead at the 8:57 mark followed by an unassisted man-up goal from
Sam Heaton for his third goal of the year.
The Lions kept the Greyhounds away from their defensive side of the field for the next five minutes, but the Greyhounds found momentum when they tallied their first goal at the 3:06 mark. And just like the Lions did, the Greyhounds posted another quick goal 20 seconds later to tie the game up at 2-2. Each team attempted one additional shot before the half ended.
The Greyhounds carried the momentum from the second quarter into the second half as they scored three goals within the first 5:19 of play. The Lions continued to fight back as Besancenez saved a shot that led to a successful clear attempt at the 6:44 mark.
Kyle Lee took advantage of possession of the ball and scored an unassisted goal 39 seconds later to cut the Greyhounds' lead to 5-3. The Greyhounds did not budge though, notching another goal four minutes later to extend their lead right back to three scores in conclusion of the quarter.
As the Lions tried to comeback by attempting six shots, they scored one man-up goal off the stick of
Sean Darroch at the 6:47 mark, but could not generate any more offense. The Greyhounds scored an additional three goals to seal the upset-victory.
Besancenez was kept busy at goalie throughout the game, saving a season-high 16 shots while facing another season-high 39 total. The Lions also won the faceoff battle, converting nine of 16 attempts from the tandem of
Tyler Schermann and
Joe Shelly.
After the loss, the Lions fall to 7-3 on the season as they will prepare to hit the road and take on Rockhurst on April 13 at 7 pm.