Men's Lacrosse Fall in Season Opener Against Redhawks, but Showcase Strong Improvements for the 2020 Season.

CINCINNATI, OH- The Lions of Mount St. Joseph University hosted the Redhawk's of LaRoche University in their season opener at Schueler Field. This match-up was a high scoring affair with thirty-nine total goals scored between the both the Lions and the Redhawks. Ultimately the Redhawks handed the Lions their first loss of the season by a score of 21-17.

While LaRoche was able to hold the lead the entire game, the Lions were able to score early and often. Only 16 seconds into the game senior Tyler Lindholz (Springboro, OH/ Springboro) was able to find the net for the first goal of the Lions season.  Lindholz would later score again in the first quarter, leaving the Mount trailing LaRoche 6-2.  Halfway through the second quarter the Mount was able to jumpstart their offense with a third goal from Lindholz, off of a Kevin McClanahan (Madeira, OH/ Madeira) assist.  The first half would end with three more Lindholz goals and two goals from McClanahan to send the Mount to the locker room down 13-8 at halftime.

The second half opened up with another McClanahan goal, giving him his first hat trick of the season. This goal was followed by Tj Ahrens (Cincinnati, OH/ St. Xavier) first goal of the new season and another two McClanahan goals, allowing the Mount to keep pace with LaRoche's strong scoring attack.

The fourth quarter belonged to the Lions, as they were able to outscore the Red Hawk 4-3 to close the game.  The strong finish to the game can be credited to an impressive quarter by freshman Antoine Jackson (Lexington, Ky/ Henry Clay) who was able to score twice. As the final buzzer rang, the Lions were defeated by the Redhawks by a score of 21-17.  Overall Saturday's game was a source for excitement for the Mount as they showcased great improvements to their offense for the 2020 lacrosse season.

The Lions will be back in action on Wednesday, March 4^th when the Methodist University Monarchs travel to Schueler Field. The game is set to begin at 7PM. Continue to check out MSJSports.com as the men's lacrosse team gets their 2020 season underway!