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LATROBE, Pa. (Feb. 24) - A first half surge helped the Saint Vincent men's lacrosse team to a 13-9 non-conference victory over visiting Mount Union under rainy conditions at the SVC Turf. 

Jeremy Kennedy and Hunter Sharp led the way for the Bearcats offensively in the victory. The tandem combined to account for seven goals and five assists on the afternoon.

Playing at home for the first time this season, Saint Vincent used a strong first half to built an 8-2 lead. After the Purple Raiders scored the initial goal less than three minutes into the contest, the Bearcats responded back with three straight scores to finish the quarter. Sharp scored back-to-back goals, including a man-up goal to give SVC its first lead at 2-1. With just four seconds remaining in the opening quarter, Joe Puvel found the back of the net off a pass from Kennedy, giving the Bearcats a 3-1 edge after 15 minutes of play. 

Kennedy continued his strong early season play with a pair of goals early in the second quarter, pushing the Bearcat lead to 5-1 at the 13:13 mark. A few minutes later the Purple Raiders stopped the Bearcat run with a man-up goal, making the score 5-2. However, Saint Vincent got a goal each from Anthony Hogeback, Sharp and Kennedy to help the Bearcats take a commanding 8-2 lead into halftime. 

Mount Union took advantage of some Bearcat penalties in the third quarter to climb back into the game. The Purple Raiders scored four of the first five goals in the second half to cut their deficit to 9-6 with seven minutes left in the third quarter. 

Kennedy helped flip the momentum back in the favor of the Bearcats with his fourth goal on the afternoon. Ben Price then added a rare man-down goal with just six seconds left in the third to put SVC in front by an 11-6 margin heading to the fourth quarter. 

Zach Novelli and Alex Mueser scored early in the fourth to give SVC a 13-6 advantage with 9:13 to play. Mount Union would score the final three goals of the afternoon but would get no closer. The win helps SVC avenge three one goal losses to Mount Union in the previous four meetings. 

Kennedy led the Bearcats with seven points, while Sharp tacked on five points to help pace the Bearcat attack. Novelli put together a fine overall performance, with a goal, two assists and five ground balls. Michael Grus recorded five ground balls, while Matt Wilson tallied three caused turnovers to help aid the defense. Luke Falvo and Ryan Sosnak also caused two turnovers apiece. 

Junior goalkeeper Michael Layton picked up the victory, making seven saves over 60 minutes of action between the pipes. 

Saint Vincent improves to 2-0 overall, while Mount Union drops to 1-1 this season. 

The Bearcats host Baldwin Wallace University for a non-conference matchup on Wednesday, Feb. 28. Start time is slated for 3 p.m.