WESTERVILLE, Ohio – The Albion College men's lacrosse team dropped its non-conference matchup against Otterbein University 12-8 on Saturday, Feb. 22 at Memorial Stadium. For the Britons (2-1, 0-0), this is their first loss of the season, while the Cardinals (2-0, 0-0) start their 2020 campaign with two consecutive wins.

With five minutes remaining in the first quarter, the Britons found themselves behind 4-1 after three quick Otterbein goals. The Purple and Gold fought back with a slick behind-the-back goal by freshman Sam Puzevic and a man-up score by sophomore Jace Conley.

Both teams tightened up on the defensive end during second quarter action with Albion adding one from senior Jacob Swift and Otterbein adding two from Mike Brendle and Logan French, respectively. The last five minutes were scoreless, resulting in a 6-4 Otterbein advantage to close the first half.

The Cardinals opened up the third period scoring two goals in the first three minutes. Puzevic halted the Otterbein scoring streak by burying one at the 10:00 mark. However, the Cardinals snuck in two more goals before the end of the quarter to build a 10-5 lead.

Senior Scott Shepard netted a goal early in the final period to bring the Britons to within four goals. The Cardinals would respond with a man-advantage goal to give Otterbein an 11-6 cushion. Swift muscled his way for two unassisted goals in the final five minutes of play, but ultimately, it was not enough to overcome the deficit as Otterbein held on to win, 12-8.

Otterbein University outshot Albion College 44-to-28 and was more efficient in the clear executing 17-of-19 compared to the Britons 9-of-17. The Purple and Gold were effective at the face-off X winning 15-of-23 draws.

Swift led the way in goals for Albion with three, giving out two assists as well. Puzevic wrapped-up the afternoon with two scores on four shots. Sophomore defender Joey Tatar caused three turnovers and gathered in five ground balls. Sophomore Fernando Robison controlled the pace of play at the X, winning 15-23 face-offs and picking up 11 groundballs. Shepard, Conley, and sophomore Gerald Haadsma both found the back of the net once. Senior goalie Trevor McManus made 15-of-27 (55.5%) saves and grabbed two ground balls.

On Tuesday, February 25th, the Albion College men's lacrosse team will host Elmhurst College at 6 p.m. at Alumni Field.  

For the latest information on the team, follow @Albion_MLax on Twitter and Instagram. General athletics news can also be found @gobrits on Twitter, AlbionAthletics on Instagram and Albion College Athletics on Facebook.

Joe and Julie Serra have given a $5 million leadership gift to launch a fundraising initiative to make two dreams a reality at Albion College. The first is a newly expanded fitness and student activity facility at the site of the current Dow Recreation and Wellness Center. The second is a new or renovated competition facility for the volleyball, men's basketball and women's basketball teams that currently call Kresge Gymnasium home.

The College is continuing to raise funds in support of both projects. To learn more, call 517/629-0446 or email advancement@albion.edu