TAMPA, Fla. - Nine Crusaders scored in tonight's men's lacrosse game at the University of Tampa, but the Spartans held on for the 13-12 win.  Belmont Abbey is now 5-2 on the year.  Tampa now stands at 7-1.

The Crusaders came out shooting from the very start.  Just 3:40 into the game, Kyle McGinley got The Abbey on the board first.  Tampa went on to score the next three goals, but Adam Wiedemann made it a 3-2 game with a score at the 5:47 mark.  From there, the Crusader defensive unit closed out the period causing two Spartan turnovers and missing several shots.  Tampa led 3-2 after the quarter expired.

It only took Liam Osborne 1:06 into the second to tie the game at three.  At the 11:43 mark, Ben Utrosa scored a man-down goal, on a pass from Jack Pigott, to notch the game at four.  With 10:16 left in the half, Tampa took a 5-4 lead.  It took Callum Tanner less than a minute to respond.  Tampa took a 7-5 lead at the 7:36 mark, but the Crusader defense shut the Spartans out the rest of the half.  Collin Grippo found the back of the net, and Tampa had a 7-6 lead at halftime.

McGinley notched the game at seven just a minute and a half into the third.  Later, a score by Brendan McGovern gave the Crusaders their first lead of the game.  Tampa tied the game at nine at the 5:43 mark.  Billy Huss won the faceoff, dashed downfield, and scored just nine seconds later.  The Spartans held an 11-10 lead at the end of the period.

Pigott was the first to score in the fourth.  Two more goals by Tampa put the Spartans in front 13-11.  Wiedemann scored in the final minute of the game, but it was not enough for the Crusaders who finished with a 13-12 loss.

McGinley, Utrosa, and Wiedemann each scored twice.  Huss won eight faceoffs and picked up a team-high five ground balls.

Belmont Abbey will next welcome Lynn University on Saturday, March 17 for a 12 p.m. contest.  It will be Mountain Island Lacrosse Day.