LATROBE, Pa. – In a bout between two of the top teams in the Ohio River Lacrosse Conference standings, the Hanover men's lacrosse team found itself on the wrong end of a back-and-forth affair, failing 13-10 at Saint Vincent (Pa.) Saturday afternoon.

Hanover's fourth double-digit scoring effort of the season was led by junior Joe DeLeo (Waterford, Mich.), who tallied four goals and one assist. DeLeo did most of his offensive damage late, recording three goals in the fourth period.

A pair of freshmen, Ian Kimmins (Dayton, Ohio) and Justin Wilson (Fishers, Ind.), each posted two goals in the game. Kimmins scored the contest's first goal at the 5:58 mark of the opening quarter and DeLeo and sophomore Noah King (Lexington, Ky.) each found the back of the net in the final 30 seconds of the period, giving HC a 3-0 lead. King also assisted on Kimmins goal and finished with three helpers on the day.

The Bearcats (12-3, 8-0 ORLC) took advantage of extra-man opportunities in the second, scoring two man-up goals early in the frame. Saint Vincent would score six of its 13 goals with a man-up.

Leading by one, junior Al Alessia (Crown Point, Ind.) gave HC a two-goal advantage, 4-2, 12 seconds before the intermission, finding the back of the net off a pass from sophomore Dallas Fonner (Evansville, Ind.). Despite trailing in shots 25-16 at the break, sophomore Noah Dubrava (Centerville, Ohio) made nine first-half saves to keep the Panthers (6-8, 6-2 ORLC) in front.

Dubrava continued his stellar season, making 19 saves over the 60-minute contest. The sophomore, who also recorded three groundballs Saturday, now has 14 or more stops in each of the last four outings.

The third period saw eight total goals scored, but it was the Bearcats that tallied six goals, taking an 8-6 advantage into the final 15-minute quarter. Wilson scored both of his goals in the quarter, including a man-up score off King's second assist at the 2:57 mark.

DeLeo's opening two scores of the fourth quarter closed the gap to one, as his man-up score had HC trailing 9-8 with 9:30 showing on the clock. Saint Vincent though, outscored HC 4-2 over the final nine minutes to stay atop the ORLC season standings. DeLeo and Kimmins scored unassisted during the closing minutes.

Five different Panther players tallied four or more shots in the contest with sophomore Patrick Boylston (Boca Raton, Fla.) leading the way with six attempts. DeLeo had a team-high four shots on goal.

Defensively, junior Evan Bartlett (Oxford, Ohio) recorded two of HC's four caused turnovers. Classmate Bret Schell (Dayton, Ohio) paced the Panthers with six groundballs. Schell also tallied one caused turnover.

With two games remaining, Hanover sits third in the ORLC standings with a 6-2 mark. However, the next three teams trailing HC in the standings are all one game back with 5-3 records.

The Panthers will look to move one step closer to securing a spot in the ORLC Tournament when they travel to face Mt. St. Joseph (Ohio) at 7 p.m., Wednesday, April 25.

Contact: Tyler Jester

jestert@hanover.edu