In an all-out war against the #13-ranked Army Black Knights last Saturday afternoon, the men’s lacrosse team fell victim to a balanced and potent attack, 13-9. The loss drops the Raiders’ record below .500 to 4-5 overall and 1-2 in the Patriot League.

Colgate got on the scoreboard first, with senior attack Kevin Colleluori slyly picking up a groundball and slotting it past shell-shocked ‘keeper Adam Fullerton. The 1-0 lead would prove to be the last advantage of the game for Colgate. The Raider defense stood its ground for most of the first quarter, but Army eventually broke through and registered three unanswered goals to end the period winning 3-1. Colgate and Army then exchanged a series of back-and-forth play, with Army ending the half with a 6-3 lead.

The Raiders mounted a series of comeback attempts in the second half, bringing the score to 6-4 before giving way to two more Army strikes. The Army defense remained steadfast throughout the game and consistently flustered the ‘Gate attack. Army finished the 3rd quarter with a 9-6 lead. Colgate eventually cut the game to 10-8, but the two-goal gap would not close, and the Black Knights eventually prevailed.

Senior attack Jon “Mantis” Freeberg had the following to say about the tough road loss.

“It’s always hard losing Patriot League games, especially to in-state rivals,” the SoCal native said. “The points in the league are crucial for the Patriot League tournament and our hopes of gaining an NCAA birth. The team just has to focus on Lehigh and do our best to win all of the remaining league points. Coach Nagle has us focused on Lehigh and we won’t disappoint in front of our home fans.”

Senior midfielder Matt Lalli was in fine form, registering two goals and a pair of assists. Sophomore midfielder Ian Murphy notched two goals and an assist, while junior attack Brandon Corp and Colleluori both had two scores.

The Raiders will now battle the Lehigh Mountain Hawks in another important Patriot League battle on Saturday at 1 p.m. The game will be played at Andy Kerr Stadium.