Griffins Start Hot, But Fall Late Against Northland

ST. LOUIS, Mo.—The Fontbonne University men's lacrosse team tried a late rally against the Northland Jacks on Wednesday afternoon, however, the Griffins came up short, 6-4.

The Griffins (1-3), outshot the Jacks (2-3), 32-25, but struggled on the face-off dot, winning just 4-of-14 and went 11-of-18 on its clear attempts.

Alex Scott, the MCVL Offensive Player of the Week, netted a team-high two goals. Brian Nguyen and Dalton Teague added the other goals. In net, Nick Fresta played well and came away with nine saves.

On the other side of the field, the Jacks saw Michael Lant, Tron Trondson and Kenny Gudmonson score two goals apiece. In goal, Matt Follmer earned some big saves on the afternoon, finishing with 10.

In the first quarter, both teams had its fair share of chances, until the Griffins broke through at the 12:31 mark on Scott's goal. Less than a minute later, Teague found Scott and he ripped his shot past Follmer, making it 2-0.

That score remained the same up until 5:22. The Griffins were called for a holding penalty and the Jacks took advantage.

Kenny Gudmonson picked up the loose ball in front of Fresta and scored, cutting the deficit down to 2-1. Prior to the quarter ending, Gudmonson struck again, at 1:52, tying the game after one quarter of play.

In the second, the Jacks took the lead at 7:14. Fresta stopped a shot from Bob Donohue, however, Trondson got the groundball and beat Fresta to give the visitor's a 3-2 lead. Then, with 5:23 to go, Trondson netted his second of the game, putting Northland ahead 4-2 after 30:00 minutes of play.

In the third, the Griffins outshot Northland 6-5, but the lone goal in the quarter went to Northland. After a good clear attempt, the ball worked its way around to Lant and he scored an unassisted goal (13:16), extending the lead to 5-2.

The Griffins, though cut into the deficit early in the fourth. The Jacks were called for a slashing penalty and Fontbonne was awarded a one minute extra-man opportunity.

Cameron Director found a cutting Teague and he beat Follmer, making it 5-3 (13:25). Lant got the lead back out to three for Northland as he scored an unassisted goal with 10:00 minutes to go.

After a Jacks turnover, Nguyen scored an unassisted goal, beating Follmer on the short-side and that narrowed it down to 6-4. That'd be as close as they'd get, though with Northland hanging on for the win.

The Griffins look to bounce back on Friday night against Dubuque. Game-time is set for 7 p.m., at Centene Stadium.

Fans make sure to stay updated on fontbonnegriffins.com throughout the year for full updates and recaps on the men's lacrosse team.