The No. 17 Lindenwood men's lacrosse team won its season opener on Saturday afternoon in Young Harris, Ga. with a 17-11 victory over Young Harris.
 
After a slow start, the Lions outscored the Mountain Lions by a 9-4 margin for the final 25 minutes of the first half, and Lindenwood led 9-6 at halftime.
 
After a defensive third quarter in which each team only scored one time, the fourth quarter started with a Young Harris goal that made the score 10-8. Lindenwood won the ensuing faceoff and had three shots on its next possession. The third shot was by Colin Domek, and it found the back of the net. That goal sparked a 4-0 run by the Lions that put the game away.
 
Lindenwood outshot the Mountain Lions by a 40-26 margin, including a 28-18 edge on shots on goal. The Lions had 13 fewer turnovers in the game, and had a 9-0 edge in caused turnovers. Lindenwood's defense was especially good in extra-man opportunities, as it held Young Harris to zero goals in six extra-man attempts.
 
Domek and Leonard Jones both finished the game with four goals and one assist. Sean Darroch had three goals and three assists. Andrew Fanizzi and Max Troha both scored twice, and Garrett Brunsvold and Robbie McCarthy had the other goals.
 
Sam Heaton led the team with three groundballs, and Jake Moran had a team-high two caused turnovers. Ben Besancenez earned the win in goal, making seven saves on the day.
 
Lindenwood will be in action again on Feb. 23 with its home opener versus Montevallo at 5 p.m.