The men’s lacrosse team (0-1 overall, 0-0 Patriot League) kicked off its season this past weekend against the Blue Hens of the University of Delaware. The Leopards’ effort culminated in a 14-6 loss against the opponent.
Delaware is ranked 16th nationally — the team advanced to the second round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
The game started off slow for the Leopards, with the home team leading at the end of the first half by a score of 8-0. The third quarter followed the same trend until Lafayette eventually found its footing with two minutes left in the period. The initial breakthrough came at 1:45, when junior attacker Riley Sullivan was assisted by junior midfielder Liam Sargent.
Only a minute and a half later, senior midfielder John Mathes netted off of a feed from senior attacker Carter Cecil. This brought the Leopards to a deficit of 11-2 before the close of the third quarter. The fourth quarter saw senior attacker Peter Lehman notch two goals, with Mathes and senior attacker Kalman Kraham also scoring.
The Leopards will be facing the Hampton Pirates at home on Saturday. When the two sides met last season, the Maroon and White won 18-9. Lafayette will then face two more non-conference opponents before Patriot League play begins in March. The Leopards’ first conference game comes at home against Army.
Three members of the men’s lacrosse team did not respond to a request for comment while a fourth declined the request.