Box Score SALISBURY, N.C. - The #4-ranked Belmont Abbey men's lacrosse team got off to a hot start at Catawba, to open the 2021 season.  The team, however, lost the contest 13-9.  It was the first regular-season loss for the Crusaders since April 10, 2019.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• It did not take Nick Deloriers long to score the first goal of the season for the Crusaders.  Noah Haas gave The Abbey a 2-0 lead less than a minute later
• Less than two minutes after that, Luke Spanier made it a 3-0 lead.  A Catawba goal at the 6:37 mark made it a 3-1 game, but the Crusader defense shut out the Indians the rest of the quarter, and took the 3-1 lead into the second
• Catawba scored a series of goals early in the second, but Austin Hasen capped off the quarter with a goal in the last minute, off a pass from Spanier.  The Indians led 7-4 at halftime
• Catawba scored a goal early in the third, but the Crusader defense held them scoreless for the next 13 minutes.  During the stretch, Jack Pigott and Connor Toomey each found the back of the net to pull The Abbey to within two goals, at 8-6.  The Indians led 10-6 by the time the quarter expired
• It took Haas less than a minute into the fourth to score a man-up goal, and a couple minutes later, Collin Grippo score a man-down goal
• Haas scored the final Abbey goal, and Catawba took the 13-9 victory
• On the night, Haas was the Crusader leader, with three goals
• Toomey picked up five ground balls, which tied for the game-high.  Brady Smith was 11 of his 20 faceoffs.  Bryce Gifford made 14 saves in goal

UP NEXT

Belmont Abbey will visit #8-ranked Lenoir-Rhyne on Saturday, February 20 at 2 p.m.