Box Score
RIVERDALE, N.Y.- The Manhattan men's lacrosse team rallied from an early deficit but fell to Robert Morris 9-7 Saturday afternoon at Joe Walton Stadium.
For the Jaspers (0-2), seven different players found the back of the net in the contest but it was a late breakdown that sealed the victory for the Colonials (1-2)
A rematch of last year's thrilling 13-12 home opening loss to Robert Morris, Manhattan trailed early but battled back to push this season's edition to an exciting fourth period finish.
Trailing 2-0 in the first period after goals by Colonials' Kyle Buchanan and Trevor Moore, the Jaspers got on the board with 20 seconds remaining in the period. On the attack, junior midfielder Brendan Rogers found an opening and ripped a shot past Robert Morris goalkeeper Charles Ruppert to cut the score to 2-1.
The Colonials would answer with three goals to start the second period before Manhattan would take over momentum with five consecutive scores of their own. With Robert Morris leading 5-1 with 5:40 remaining in the second period, the Jaspers mounted an impressive offensive, starting with sophomore midfielder Jon Crean's tally on an assist from redshirt freshman Brian McGrath with 2:48 left
Following in suit, senior captain Mike Llewellyn cut the deficit to 5-3 when he scored off a man-up opportunity with 1:15 remaining in the first half of play.
Coming out of the break, Manhattan kept their foot on the pedal, with sophomore midfielder Tyler Jarvis trimming the Colonials' lead to one with a goal assisted by junior Tyler Sabens at the 10:53 mark of the third period. Six seconds later, the Jaspers tied the game at 5-all when senior attacker Kelly Mahon blasted a shot past Ruppert.
With 8:39 remaining in the third period, Manhattan would take their first lead of the game. In a preview of things to come this season, senior attacker Justin Jensen took a pass from Llewellyn and delivered a big goal to make it 6-5 Jaspers.
However, Manhattan's first advantage of the season would last all of four minutes before Robert Morris would mount a counter offensive to ultimately lead them to victory.
At the 4:29 mark of the third period, Colonials' attacker Patrick Smith netted the first of back-to-back goals to tie the contest at 6-all. Three minutes later he was at it again, giving Robert Morris the last lead they would need with a score at the 50 second mark, making it 7-6. Trevor Moore would add another goal with five seconds left to extend their advantage to 8-6 heading into the fourth period.
In the final period, junior midfielder Tyler Sabens would bring Manhattan back within one at 8-7 with 5:10 remaining but Robert Morris added a final goal to seal the victory.
Overall, Robert Morris outshot Manhattan 57-34 in the contest. Ruppert made eight saves to pick up the victory while Jasper freshman Rich Akapnitis recorded an impressive 21 saves in the loss. The Colonials also dominated the groundball (42-20) and face-off (11-19) department. A cleaner second game, Manhattan committed 13 turnovers in the contest but was only 1-9 in extra-man opportunities.
The Jaspers will return to action Tuesday when they welcome Presbyterian to Riverdale for their 2011 home opener at Gaelic Park. The opening face-off is set for 3 p.m.
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