FREDERICK, Md. (March 12) – The Saint Vincent men's lacrosse team faced an early deficit and could not recover in an 11-4 road loss to Hood College in Maryland.

The host Blazers gained control early, scoring four goals in the first quarter. Neither team managed a score in the second quarter, allowing Hood to take a 4-0 lead into the halftime break. The Blazers controlled the first half, out-shooting SVC by a 20-7 margin.

Saint Vincent showed signs of life midway through the third quarter, using back-to-back goals to cut the deficit in half to 4-2. Hunter Sharp scored a man-up goal off an assist from Ryan Filyo, at the 6:30 mark of the third quarter. Sophomore Alex Mueser would add an unassisted tally with 2:38 left in the third, giving SVC hopes up a comeback.

However, Hood responded with two scores over the final 1:18 of the third quarter, re-establishing a four-goal advantage heading into the fourth. The Blazers then scored the first two goals of the fourth quarter, pushing the edge to 8-2. Mueser added another score at the 8:35 mark of the fourth but Hood then scored two more goals, making it 10-3.

Anthony Hogeback would score off an assist from senior Tim Oxenreiter with 2:36 to play, making it 10-4. Hood added a late goal to close the scoring at 11-4.

The Blazers held a sizeable advantage in shots (38-19), including a 21-14 margin on goal. Hood had 46 ground balls, while SVC picked up 32. Turnovers were just about even, as SVC committed 23 to 22 for Hood. SVC struggled at times to clear, clearing 15 of 24 successfully in the contest. Hood held a 14-5 advantage in face-offs.

Senior Greg Gonzalez got the start in net for SVC, making 10 saves in the loss. Mueser paced the offense with two goals on a team-high seven shots. Five Bearcats picked up four ground balls in the game.
Grayson Zubradt led the way for the Blazers, scoring a match-high six goals.

The Bearcats dropped to 1-2 overall, while Hood improved to 3-3.

Saint Vincent returns to action with a road contest at John Carroll University on Wednesday, March 16. Start time is slated for 4 p.m.