Slow start proves costly as Men's Lacrosse falls to Capital 11-9 in OAC showdown
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital (13-1, 7-0 OAC) | 3 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 11 |
| Ohio Northern (11-3, 6-1 OAC) | 0 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 9 |
Team Stats
Capital
| Game Statistics | Capital | Ohio Northern |
|---|---|---|
| Shots | 28 | 37 |
| Ground Balls | 25 | 20 |
| Saves | 11 | 8 |
| Clears | 15-16 | 13-16 |
| Turnovers | 18 | 17 |
| Face Offs Won | 13 | 10 |
| Man Up | 1-4 | 0-1 |
By Tim Glon
ADA — The Ohio Northern men's lacrosse team scored five of the game's final seven goals, but could not overcome a slow start and dropped an 11-9 decision to Capital on a cold, wet and windy evening at Dial-Roberson Stadium.
The Polar Bears fall to 11-3 overall and are 5-2 in the Ohio Athletic Conference, while the Crusaders improve to 13-1, 7-0.
Capital scored three times in the first 5:40 and added a fourth goal 1:48 into the second quarter to take a 4-0 lead.
Northern got on the board with goals by sophomore Joe O'Connell (Fishers, Ind.) and senior Anthony Pavone (Bainbridge/Kenston) just 1:01 apart to pull within 4-2 with 8:34 left in the half.
The Crusaders got the next three goals to go up 7-2 before junior Patrick Moran (Austin, Tex./Bowie) and Pavone scored just 40 seconds apart to make it 7-4 with 1:44 left before intermission.
CU led 8-4 at halftime and 9-4 at the 10:16 mark of the third period.
The Polar Bears got their offense rolling in the last quarter and a half, outscoring CU 5-2 the rest of the way.
Senior Mitch Groves (Fishers, Ind./Chatard) scored with 7:37 left in the third to get ONU within 9-5.
In the fourth quarter, junior Kevin Giles (Williamsburg, Va./Warhill) and sophomore Mason Schmeling (Hilliard/Darby) scored 1:19 apart to make it a 9-7 game.
Again CU had an answer with goals at the 5:51 and 4:26 mark to extend the lead to 11-7.
O'Connell scored with 4:03 remaining and Giles scored with 2:04 to play to make it 11-9.
Northern won the ensuing faceoff, but lost the ball on a turnover and Capital was able to run out the clock and hang on for the victory.
Ohio Northern out shot Capital 37-28 but CU won the ground ball battle 25-20.
Junior Javon Smith (Baltimore, Md./Dulaney) led the ONU defense with three ground balls and two caused turnovers.
The Polar Bears will return to action on Wednesday with their final regular season home game of the season at 7 pm against Otterbein.
