INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – A valiant comeback bid fell short for the Lincoln Memorial men's lacrosse team in a 9-8 loss at No. 10 Indianapolis on Saturday morning at Key Stadium.
The Railsplitters (2-3) went into the final minute trailing the nationally-ranked Greyhounds (3-0) by three goals, but
Robert Tucker scored with 40 seconds left and
Ian Cook added another with just four ticks left in regulation to close the gap to one. However, Indianapolis won the ensuing face-off to deny Lincoln Memorial of one final attempt to tie the match.
The Railsplitters battled tough throughout, never trailing by more than three goals while playing the Greyhounds to a virtual stalemate for the majority of the first half. Lincoln Memorial managed to hang with Indianapolis despite being outshot 53-23, allowing a massive 44-16 advantage in ground ball recoveries and winning just two of the matches' 21 face-offs.
Ian Cook led the way for the Railsplitters with four goals, including two in the fourth quarter.
Robert Tucker chipped in a goal and two assists, while
Chris Tucker paced Lincoln Memorial in the first half with three goals.
Reggie Golfin contributed an assist. Five different players snagged two ground balls for LMU.
Shawn Kimble and Matthew Johnson carried the Greyhound offense by combining for seven of the team's nine goals. Kimble had four with an assist, while Johnson finished with three tallies. Drew Billig had two assists, while five other players had a point apiece.
The Railsplitters struck first on an unassisted goal by
Chris Tucker at the 12:29 mark of the first, but Indianapolis answered with a 4-1 spurt that ran deep into the second frame. Kimble scored twice and assisted on another goal during that span that put the Greyhounds in front 4-2.
However, Lincoln Memorial responded with a goal by Cook at the 5:07 mark and another for
Chris Tucker with 60 seconds left in the half, tying the match at 4-4.
Indianapolis would go into the halftime locker room with the 5-4 lead, though, as Kimble finished off a nifty pass from Billig with just two seconds left in the quarter.
Cook brought the match back level with a goal at the 10:20 mark of the third, but Indianapolis got the separation that ultimately decided the match over the next passage of play, scoring twice in the final 3:07 of the third before adding another goal just six seconds into the fourth to make it 8-5.
The Railsplitters then tried to rally late behind a pair of goals from Cook and
Robert Tucker's lone score, but it ultimately wasn't enough to overcome that three-goal margin.
Trenton Cameron made 14 saves between the pipes for the Railsplitters, while Jarod Kimble needed just six saves to pick up the win in goal for Indianapolis.
The Railsplitters limited their own turnover count to 21, but Indianapolis was a bit cleaner with the ball with only 19. Lincoln Memorial went 23-for-27 on clears compared to a 12-for-14 mark for the Greyhounds.
Up Next
After a five-game, season-opening road trip, the Railsplitters will make their LMU Lacrosse Complex debut on Wednesday with a matchup against Alabama Huntsville. That match is scheduled to get underway at noon.
