GEORGETOWN, Texas – The Southwestern University Pirates men's lacrosse team fell short in the last period giving the Swarthmore Garnets a 17-13 win.
Logan Spalding led the team in points and ground balls by scoring three goals and winning four ground balls for the Pirates. Zac Asbury had the high in assists by contributing to four goals.
In the first period, Southwestern played aggressive offensive, picking up almost every faceoff and totaling 12 ground balls while Swarthmore only picked up seven. However, the Pirates had trouble finding the back of the cage to gain any lead over the Garnets. Spalding was able to score the first goal for the Pirates with Swarthmore ahead by two, followed by Zane Abbott and Benjamin Libby to have the Pirates trail 3-4 at the end of the first period.
Still fighting to get a lead on Swarthmore, the Pirates would once again match the Garnets with both teams only scoring two goals and the defense held strong on both ends of the field.
Going into the half 5-6, the Pirates trailed by one. The Pirates won the majority of faceoffs and Kyle Kuberski had a total of 10 saves ending the second period.
The third period is where Swarthmore would catch fire and pull a significant lead over the Pirates in the second half. Kai Knight-Turcan, with assists from Asbury, was the only one to score two goals for the Pirates in the third period while the Garnets sank seven goals in the back of the Pirate's cage, ending the period 7-13. Swarthmore attempted 20 goals at the Pirates cage while Southwestern only took eight shots on goal.
With the Garnets having a six-point lead in the fourth period, the Pirates struggled to fight their way back into the game. Even as Southwestern scored six goals in the fourth period, the Garnets answered back with four goals as well as winning seven of the 11 faceoffs and winning nine ground balls while the Pirates picked up five.
The game ended in the Garnets favor, with a final score of 13-17. With the loss, the Pirates stand at 4-3 in the season. Up next, Southwestern will get ready to hit the road to play Pfeiffer University in Misenheimer, NC, Friday, March 15 at 6:00 p.m., and then William Peace Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
