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March 28, 2024 12:54 pm

Mount Olive drops home opener to Lander

MOUNT OLIVE – In the season opener at the Ray McDonald Sr. Sports Complex, the Trojans fell by an 11-7 margin against Lander in non-conference action on Feb. 4. With the loss, the University of Mount Olive men’s lacrosse program dropped to 0-1 this season.

Lander was first to get on the board in the initial three minutes of the game with a goal to lead 1-0. The Trojans quickly responded back with a goal by senior Samuel Skousen assisted by junior Elijah Cobb at the 11:26 mark of the match to tie the score 1-1. Shortly after, junior Chapman Parker scored a goal off a pass by Cobb to take the lead, 2-1. UMO remained scoreless for the remainder of the first quarter as the Bearcats took a 4-2 advantage on three goals in the final seven-plus minutes.

In the second quarter, Lander extended the lead to 5-2 at the 13:52 mark of the game. In response, senior Chaz Goodman scored off a pass by Travis Pullan to close the gap to 5-3. As the final minutes of the half were closing, the Trojans trailed 6-5 following goals from graduate students Blake Tallon and Braydon Hickey.

After halftime, the Bearcats stretched the lead to 8-5 with two goals in under a minute. UMO remained scoreless until the 7:34 mark before junior Aidan Lalonde put one past the keeper from a pass by senior Chance Urban to cut the lead to 8-6. In the closing minutes of the third quarter, Skousen scored his second goal of the game before Lander closed the quarter with a goal, leading 9-7. Over the final 15 minutes of the game, Mount Olive battled hard to earn more scoring opportunities before the Bearcats sealed their road victory with a goal at the 2:53 mark, 11-7.

Junior goalkeeper Jacob Brown earned 12 saves while facing 23 shots on goal. Mount Olive held the shot advantage 47-33, with a 28-23 advantage in shots on goal. The Trojans also secured a 39-17 edge in ground balls. Senior Mike Marto won 16 out of 22 face-offs. Skousen led the team with two goals and sophomore Brady Laurance led the team with seven ground balls.

— From University of Mount Olive Athletics