CLINTON,S.C. – Presbyterian College men's lacrosse rallied from a 3-0 deficit early in the game against VMI on Saturday afternoon, to take a 5-4 lead in the third quarter. The Blue Hose and the Keydets traded leads throughout the remainder of the game before VMI clinched a 9-7 victory in PC's home opener at Old Bailey Stadium.

Junior attacker Sean Mulford (Towson, Md./Loyola Blakefield H.S.) tied VMI's Tim Moran for a game-high four points. Mulford scored twice and added two assists on Saturday to bolster his season points to a team-high eight.

VMI (1-3) scored three times in the first half to gain a 3-0 advantage before Mulford's goal with 54 seconds remaining in the second quarter put PC on the board. The teams entered halftime with the Keydets up 3-1.

PC (0-3) carried the momentum Mulford sparked into the second half, scoring twice in the first three minutes. Senior midfielder Billy Rinaldi (Hilton Head, S.C./Hilton Head H.S.) was the first to strike while junior midfielder Andrew Athens (Huntingtown, Md./Robert Morris Univ.)followed up the performance with a goal of his own to tie the game 3-3.

VMI's Moran attempted to stop the run with a goal off a pass by Kyle Hoffstetter, but the Blue Hose were not shaken. Sophomore attacker Devin Pinkston (Purcellville, Va./Notre Dame Academy) found the back of the net for the second time this season off a dish by Mulford to tie the game at four all with 8:45 remaining in the third period.

The Blue Hose pulled ahead less than a minute later when Mulford scored his second goal of the afternoon off a pass by Athens, giving PC a 5-4 lead with 7:48 left in the period. The Blue Hose maintained their lead for most of the period until Moran added a last-minute goal, tying the game for the third time, with 11 seconds left on the clock. Prior to his score, PC had held the Keydets scoreless for just over 12 minutes.

PC regained its lead 30 seconds later when freshman midfielder Drake Peterson (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mariemont H.S.) snuck one past VMI goalkeeper Sean McCoy while on the ground after receiving a pass from Mulford at 14:45 in the fourth quarter. Once again, VMI tied the game with a score by Jacob Weimer. Rinaldi netted his second goal of the afternoon, giving the Blue Hose their final lead of the game, 7-6, at 11:56.

The Keydets finished the game in the same fashion they started it by reeling off three goals in the final eight minutes of play, earning a 9-7 victory and their first win of the season.

The two teams were evenly matched in several categories, with both sides picking up 24 ground balls and PC having just one more turnover than VMI (23-22). Neither team was able to convert on man-up opportunities, of which there were seven between the two teams.

Sophomore goalkeeper Jon Athens (Huntingtown, Md./Northern H.S.) made nine saves while facing 18 shots on goal. VMI's McCoy had seven saves against 14 shots on goal by the Blue Hose.

PC travels to New York where the team will meet Siena on Mar. 1 and Wagner on Mar. 3.

* * * *

CLINTON, S.C.– Behind six goals combined from its top two returning scorers, the VMI lacrosse team earned its first win of the season, topping the Presbyterian College Blue Hose 9-7 Saturday afternoon in Clinton, S.C.

Tim Moran led the Keydets with four goals, while linemate Brett Leonard chipped in a pair. Three other Keydets scored to help VMI move to 1-2 on the young season, while Presbyterian dropped to 0-3.

The first period of action was closely contested, as the Keydets attempted six shots to the Blue Hose's three, while the home squad outgained VMI in groundballs 6-5. The Keydets got on the board first, thanks to an impressive individual effort by Lowell Patterson. The junior midfielder scored his second goal of the season at the 7:22 mark, putting VMI up 1-0.

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2009-02-21