CLEVELAND—The host Cleveland State Vikings got on a roll about midway through the second quarter and rode that momentum all the way to the final horn in handing Bellarmine a 17-8 defeat in a nonconference lacrosse game under the dome at Krenzler Field on Saturday.
The Vikings (1-2) registered the first two goals of the game, but the Knights (0-3) stormed back to take a 3-2 lead and held that margin at the end of the first quarter. After Cleveland State pulled even in the first minute of the second frame, the Knights responded with
Luke Legnard netting his second goal of the game to put Bellarmine back in front at the 11:54 mark of the second quarter.
However, that's when the Vikings caught fire, reeling off seven straight goals over the next 17 minutes of game time to take a 10-4 lead at the 8:13 mark of the third period. Particularly damaging for the Knights was the final minute of the second quarter that saw CSU strike three times in the final 49 seconds.
Bellarmine finally broke through for a goal in the third period when
Morgan Macko capitalized on an extra man opportunity at the 4:58 mark, but the Vikings closed the quarter by scoring with just one second on the clock to take an 11-5 advantage into the final period. The final stanza saw nine goals scored with Cleveland State notching six to make the final margin nine.
As reflected on the scoreboard, the Vikings dominated in nearly every statistic. Probably the most glaring was at faceoff, where CSU won 28 of 31. The extra possessions led to the Vikings outshooting the Knights 46-24 and winning ground balls 39-22.
"Over the course of the game, our lack of possession time caused a domino effect in all areas," said Bellarmine Coach
Jim Mitchell. "We had no answers against a talented group of Cleveland State faceoff guys, and we were unable to make up for that deficit on either end of the field. Each game presents a unique challenge, and we simply need to improve as a team day by day to get the results we all want."
Legnard finished with a hat trick to lead Bellarmine's offense while Macko and
Landon Trout added two goals apiece. Tristan Hanna rang up four goals and added two assists to pace the Vikings.
In goal,
Jordan Dondoyano registered 17 saves for Bellarmine while CSU's Caleb Espinoza came up with five saves in recording the win.
Bellarmine returns to action next Saturday when it plays its third consecutive road game. The Knights will square off against Robert Morris at noon in Moon Township, Pennsylvania.
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BOX SCORE (HTM)
