BELMONT, N.C. - Brady Smith won 18 of his 23 faceoffs, and the #4-ranked Belmont Abbey men's lacrosse team defeated #14-ranked Indianapolis 15-6 this afternoon.  The Abbey moves to 7-0 on the season, while the Greyhounds dipped to 2-3.  The game was the first of a six-game homestand for the Crusaders.

How it Happened

• Indy scored two goals early, but Austin Hasen set up Sean Hanrahan for a goal, then scored a man-up goal of his own to notch the score at two.  He scored again in the last minute of the period, to give The Abbey a 3-2 lead heading into the second.  Smith won four if the six faceoffs in the quarter
• The second went back and forth, until Hasen set up Ben Utrosa for a goal, then scored a goal himself at the 2:54 mark to put The Abbey in front 6-4.  Collin Grippo closed out the half with a score, and the Crusaders held a strong 7-4 lead at halftime.  Smith was 9-for-12 on faceoffs in the half
• The third quarter was all Abbey.  Noah Haas scored 1:18 into the period, then set up Haas for a score just a minute later.  Smith won the ensuing faceoff, and made a quick pass to Haas for a score and a 10-4 Crusader lead
• Later in the half, Belmont Abbey scored three goals in a three-minute span to increase the lead to 13-4
• Haas closed out the quarter with a goal, and BAC held a commanding 14-5 lead heading into the final period
• Grippo only needed a minute and a half into the fourth to find the back of the net.  From there, the Abbey defense limited the Greyhounds' shooting and closed out the 15-6 victory
• On the day, Smith won 18 of his 23 faceoffs, marking a new career high.  His 14 ground balls were also a game-high
• Hasen scored five goals and handed out four assists.  Haas scored four and dished out two assists
• Bryce Gifford made 19 saves on 25 shots for a 76 save percentage

Up Next

Belmont Abbey will host begin conference play on Saturday, March 14, when it welcomes North Greenville for a 12 noon contest.