Connor Kirkwood	Casey Green
Tim Dolan	Michael Elefonte

Box score

Just like last year, The University of Scranton men's lacrosse team found itself tied at halftime against nationally ranked Cortland. Unfortunately also like last year, the Red Dragons used a big second half to take the victory, this time handing the Royals a 13-8 defeat on Tuesday afternoon at Fitzpatrick Field.

Scranton (3-2) rallied in the second period to tie the score at 6 going into halftime. But Cortland (1-0), which is ranked sixth in the USILA Top 20, used a 3-0 advantage in the third period to take control, then held off the Royals in the fourth. Last year, the game was tied at 5 at the break before the Red Dragons posted a 6-0 advantage in the third period en route to a 15-9 win.

The Royals were led by sophomore attackman Connor Kirkwood (Millburn, N.J./St. Peter's Prep), who had four goals and an assist. His goal with the Royals two men midway through the second period sparked the rally that tied the game at halftime.

Senior midfielder Casey Green (Manlius, N.Y./Fayetteville-Manlius), junior attackman Tim Dolan (Garden City, N.Y./Garden City) and sophomore midfielder Michael Elefonte (Kinnelon, N.J./Kinnelon) each had a goal and an assist. Freshman midfielder Jalen Holmes (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan) added a goal for the Royals.

Kirkwood and Elefonte lead the team with five ground balls each. Sophomore defenseman Gordon Paul (Ocean, N.J./Christian Brothers Academy) had two of the team's six caused turnovers. Freshman goalkeeper Shayne Fallon (West Deptford, N.J./West Deptford) finished with 14 saves in goal, including 12 in the second half.

The Royals held a slim 39-38 edge in shots, although Cortland had a 25-12 second-half advantage. The Red Dragons led the ground ball department, 50-39, and had 13 turnovers to the Royals' 18. Both teams had 18 clear opportunities, with Cortland converting 15 and Scranton completing 14.

The Scranton men's lacrosse team will be back in action on Saturday, March 3, when the Royals travel to Williamsport, Pa. to take on Lycoming at 1 p.m.

--ROYALS--