Hartford, Conn. – The Trinity College men's lacrosse program nearly dug itself out of an hole Sunday afternoon, but was unable to overcome its early deficit, falling to Wesleyan 16-12 Sunday afternoon. The Bantams (3-2, 1-2 NESCAC) allowed just five goals in the second half, but the Cardinal defense was able to keep its high-powered offense at bay, moving to 2-2 (2-1 NESCAC) on the year.

Trinity had four multi-goal performances on the afternoon, with its offense heating up in the latter half of the contest. Frist-year Dane Crowley (Pelham, N.Y.) was dominant in the faceoff circle once again, winning 18 of 28 while leading the team with 12 ground balls. First-year Cooper Yaccino (Kenilworth, Ill.) took the loss between the pipes, allowing 16 goals while making 10 saves in the setback.

Wesleyan got things started with three straight goals in the opening six minutes to take the early advantage before junior Harrison Ike (Allentown, Pa.) put the Bantams on the board with 8:21 remaining in the first. Classmate Jackson Wood (Alexandria, Va.) scored and assisted on a goal from senior Jack Cahill (Medfield, Mass.), but the Cardinals would take a 7-2 advantage into the second quarter.

The two teams would trade goals to begin the second, with junior Connor Mcculloch (Alexandira, Va.) and sophomore William Puccio (Garden City, N.Y.) notching goals before the  7:30 mark of the half. Two quick goals from Wesleyan ended the half, giving Wesleyan a commanding 11-5 halftime advantage.

Cahill's second of the game opened up the third quarter, and was followed by a goal by junior Reid McDonald (Aldie, Va.) to cut the lead down to four. Senior Drew Kozub (Mashpee, Mass.) also joined in on the scoring, but a pair of Cardinal goals near the end of the quarter made it 13-8 with 15 minutes left to play.

McCulloch, Kozub, Wood, and Crowley would all net goals in the final frame, but Wesleyan would seal the contest with three of their own, handing the Bantams its second straight NESCAC loss with a final score of 16-12.

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