Sparkill, N.Y. - The St. Thomas Aquinas College Men's Lacrosse team suffered a 23-8 defeat at the hands of Roberts Wesleyan University on Saturday afternoon at Spartan Field.
STAC slips to 3-5 overall and 0-2 in ECC play, while Roberts Wesleyan moves to 6-3 and 1-1.
Battling adverse weather conditions, including rain, wind and cold temperatures, the Spartans received two goals apiece from Braiden Struss, Jonathan Farley and Ryan Christensen, while Carlos Aguilar and Michael Huff netted a goal each.
Goalie Connor Reed (L, 1-2) got the start in the cage for STAC and made nine stops on the afternoon, with Craig Peavy coming on in relief in the second half and making 11 saves. The duo of Andy Davis (W, 4-3) and Garrett Kayser combined to stop four of twelve Spartans shots.
Roberts Wesleyan opened the contest with six straight goals, before Jonathan Farley was able to break the shutout with just under four and a half minutes to played in the first quarter. Following three additional Redhawks goals, Farley struck again for his second of the match in the final minute of the stanza.
The visitors from Rochester went on an offensive tear in the second quarter, scoring all eight goals in the frame to lead 17-2 at halftime.
When action resumed on the field, Michael Huff and Ryan Christensen each sent shots to the back of the cage, with a Roberts Wesleyan goal sandwiched in between to make it 18-4 through 45 minutes of action.
The final quarter saw the Spartans and Redhawks trade the first eight goals of the stanza, with Braiden Struss (2), Ryan Christensen and Carlos Aguilar all tallying scores. One final Roberts Wesleyan goal capped a 15-goal win, at 23-8.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- STAC tallied 12 shots on goal, with Ryan Christensen registering three on net.
- James Staeckeler scooped up eight of the Spartans 25 ground balls in the match.
- Austin Palen went 10-for-25 on faceoffs for the maroon and gold.
UP NEXT
St. Thomas Aquinas plays the first of three straight on the road, visiting the Torne Valley Sports Complex in Hillburn, N.Y. on Wednesday, March 29 (4:00 p.m.) to battle with crosstown rivals Dominican University.