Spartans Fall on the Road to No. 9 Mercyhurst

ERIE, PA -The fourth-ranked University of Tampa men's lacrosse team could not overcome a 9-1 halftime deficit as they fell to No. 9 Mercyhurst 14-7 Saturday afternoon at Tullio Field. With the win the Lakers improve to 6-2, while the Spartans fall to 11-2.

Mercyhurst struck first as Trevor Vargo netted an unassisted goal just over a minute into the game. Trevor Calleja won the ensuing faceoff and on the Spartans possession Brian Patton found Matt Bilak for a goal to even the game at 1-1. The Lakers scored four straight goals to take a 5-1 lead after the opening period.

Both teams saw strong defensive efforts in the second quarter as neither team scored in the first twelve minutes of the period. Mercyhurst scored four unanswered goals in the final three minutes of the quarter to take a 9-1 lead into the break.

The Lakers extended their lead four minutes into the second half when Cory Becker netted a man-up goal. Tampa responded on their next possession as Bobby Calhoun found Patton in front of the cage for a goal. Minutes later Calhoun scored his first goal of the season to cut the lead to 10-3. After a Mercyhurst goal, Conor Whipple connected with Jake Rooney for a goal to cut the deficit to 11-4 after three quarters.

Mercyhurst scored back-to-back goals to start the final period. The Spartans responded as Bilak, Whipple, and Riley Piper each netted a goal to cut the deficit to 13-7 with 1:28 remaining. James Rogan scored an unassisted goal for the Lakers for the 14-7 final.

Whipple led the Spartans with three points, while Bilak netted a pair of goals.

Calleja finished the game with eight ground balls, while Nate Tembi picked up six. Shane Giunta made ten saves in 53 minutes of action in the cage.

The Spartans will return to action next Wednesday, April 9, when they travel to Winter Park, Fla. to take on Rollins in a Sunshine State Conference match. With a win, Tampa would clinch at least a share of the first SSC regular season title.

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