GEORGETOWN, TEXAS -- The Trine University men's lacrosse team fell to Alfred (N.Y.) University, 9-5, in a neutral site game in Georgetown, Texas.
Sophomore Justin Gearig (Vicksburg, Mich./Vicksburg) and junior Eric Peal (Imperial, Mo./Seckman) led the Thunder in scoring with a pair of goals each. Junior Daniel William Shine (Chicago, Ill./Lane Tech College Prep) rounded out the goal scorers with one goal.
In addition, senior Jordan Lelito (West Chicago, Ill./West Chicago) led the team in assists with two and senior Kevan Barissi (Grand Rapids, Mich./Forest Hills Central) added one assist.
Alfred (2-1) scored the first goal of the first quarter at the 10:30 mark, but Gearig tallied his first goal of the game with 8:49 left in the period to even the game at 1-1. The Saxons scored the final points of the quarter by finding the back of the net three times to lead 4-1 after the first 15 minutes.
The only goal of the second quarter was recorded by Alfred at the 12-minute mark that gave the Saxons a four-goal margin, 5-1, at the margin.
Trine (2-1) looked to make a dent in the deficit with three goals to begin the third quarter. Peal struck first with a goal just 1:18 into the period and was followed with a score by Shine with 8:48 to go to get the Thunder within two goals, 5-3. A little over two minutes later, Gearig recorded his second goal of the game on a man-up opportunity that made it a one-goal game, 5-4, with just under six-and-a-half minutes left in the quarter. The momentum then shifted back over to Alfred as the Saxons added three more scores to end the period and regain a four-point margin, 8-4, heading into the fourth quarter.
Trine got one of the goals back late in the fourth with a score at the 5:08 mark when Peal tallied his second marker of the game to pull the Thunder to within three goals, 8-5. Alfred netted the game's final goal with just over a minute to go which gave the Saxons the 9-5 victory.
Trine is scheduled to play a non-conference game against Southwestern (Texas) University on Friday, Mar. 9 in Georgetown, Texas. The game is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. EST.