Written by Sports Information Student Assistant, Jake Sipes-Salter

HANOVER, Ind. - Despite some early-game successes, particularly from the face-off "x," the Hanover men's lacrosse team was bested by Trine (Ind.) 13-7 in their home opener at Alumni Stadium on Wednesday afternoon.

The Panthers (1-3 overall) found the net thanks to senior Noah King (Lexington, Ky.), who gave the home squad an early 1-0 lead with 12:45 on the clock. At 10:01, junior Eric Hopkins (Evansville, Ind.) made it 2-0 when he converted on a pass from sophomore Josh Perkins (San Diego, Calif.).

 Later in the contest, the Blue and Red notched a pair of quick scores from senior Patrick Boylston (Boca Raton, Fla.) and sophomore Dirk Meinhart (Elizabethtown, Ky.) at 6:23 and 6:05 to give Hanover a 4-0 advantage. Before the first quarter was over, the Thunder would get on the board when Jarod Schepp scored his first goal of the bout. With one quarter down, HC led by a 4-1 tally.

Trine began the second frame with a pair of scores at 12:33 and 9:59 that would cut the Panthers' lead to 4-3, but at 8:38 junior Jackson Wheeler (Indianapolis, Ind.) would answer the three-goal run by hitting the back of the net via a dimom King.

However, the visitors would rattle off two more goals to knot the score at 5-5 going into halftime. Through the first 30 minutes, the Blue and Red controlled the faceoffs, going 9-for-12 from the "x." Junior Justin Wilson (Fishers, Ind.) bagged seven-of-eight faceoff attempts in the first half.

The second half saw Trine strike first as they claimed the lead 6-5 before a series of goals extended the Thunder lead to 10-5 at the 8:45 mark. Hanover answered with a goal of their own with 6:09 remaining in the third as junior Ian Kimmins (Dayton, Ohio) found the back of the net. They would strike again moments later as Boylston netted the Panthers final goal of the afternoon.

Trine tacked one three more goals in the final stanza en route to the 13-7 non-conference victory.

Hanover returns to action on Saturday, March 7 when they play host to Muskingum. Game time is set for 1:00 PM.