WASHINGTON - The Catholic University of America men's lacrosse team suffered their first loss of the season on Tuesday, Feb. 24 against Hampden-Sydney, taking a 8-6 defeat in Cardinal Stadium.

Both teams shot even at 38 on the day in yet another close game. Catholic struck first in the first quarter with sophomore attacker Tony Fisher's (Ardmore, Pa. / Lower Merion) unassisted goal. The visiting Tigers tied the game with two minutes left in the first, and then pulled ahead 2-1 just two minutes into the second stanza. Catholic responded with a goal by senior attacker Brian Keith (King of Prussia, Pa. / Archbishop Carroll), his goal was assisted by freshman midfielder Ethan Rodriguez (Miami, Fla. / Belen Jesuit Prep). The even score did not last long. The Tigers took a 3-2 lead as the game moved into the third quarter, but the Cardinals were not finished yet.

"The team played as one unit," said CUA men's lacrosse head coach Brooks Singer. "It starts with Matt Michalski working hard on the faceoff, and the team rallying around hard work by every player who is on the field.

Facing a three-goal deficit with five minutes left in the third frame, freshman midfielder Jonathan Curran (Ridgefield, Conn. / Ridgefield) scored. He struck again one minute later, with an assist form sophomore middie Victor Licata (Towson, Md. / Loyola-Blakefield). The score read 5-4 as the game headed into the fourth quarter.

"Curran had a lot of shooting opportunities, and he continues to get better each game," Singer said.

Despite several one-goal deficits, the Cardinals were unable to pull ahead. Sophomore midfielder John Blee (Ellicott City, Md. / Mt. St. Joseph) scored in the 14th minute of the fourth quarter with an assist from senior midfielder Chris Wellock (Wyomissing, Pa. / Wyomissing). Curran struck for the third time three minutes later with an unassisted goal, just 21 seconds after a Hampden-Sydney goal. The final score read 8-6 in favor of the Tigers, marking the Cardinal's first loss of the season.

Catholic junior goalie Harrison Holak (Doylestown, Pa. / Central Bucks East) made a total of 15 saves on the day, matching his outing against Marymount (Va.) on Feb. 18.

"Holak has been playing terrific," said Singer. "He made some key saves today."

The Cardinals will travel to Immaculata University on Saturday, Feb. 28, for a 3 p.m. game in Immaculata, Pa. 

"The game was a hard fought battle with a quality team who played for an ODAC championship last year," said Singer. "We expect to learn from this game and correct a few things so that this type of game will go our way moving forward."

written by Colleen Loftus, Student Communications Assistant

-CUA-