ROME, GA. -- Saturday afternoon the Malone University Men's Lacrosse team wrapped up their season-opening Georgia road trip.
The Pioneers traveled to take on the Shorter University Hawks.
Malone game out strong and escaped with a 21-17 victory.
THE ESSENTIALS
- Final Score: Malone University Pioneers 21 - Shorter University Hawks 17
- Records: Malone (2-0, 0-0 G-MAC) Shorter (2-2, 0-0 GSC)
- Location: Rome, Georgia | Ben Brady Field
THE GAME
The determined Pioneers came out scorching to begin the game.
Luke Ory set the tone early with a goal less than a minute into the contest.
Talon Heath,
Eli Ciotti,
Zac Smargiasso, and
Ramsey Burnard continued the onslaught to put the Pioneers in prime position and set the score at 6-0. The Hawks answered back with 4 seconds remaining in the quarter, leaving the score at 6-1 through one.
The second quarter was a different story for Malone. The offense was cooled off and the Hawks weren't going away without a fight. Shorter found the mesh 5 times in the quarter to send the teams knotted up at 6 headed into the locker rooms.
Coach
Michael Campbell lit a fire in his men as they were electric in the third quarter.
Eli Ciotti and
Talon Heath led the charge, ripping twine twice in the first 2 minutes to set the tone. While the Hawks were able to score twice in the period, the Pioneers refused to slow down. Ciotti threw down two more goals, while
Ramsey Burnard and
Luke Ory each found the netting for a second time. Through 3 the Pioneers were holding on to a 12-8 lead.
Fireworks were flying in the fourth. The teams each threw home 9 goals, for a combined total of 18 4th quarter goals.
Nolan Winter helped lead the shootout with two goals of his own, Ciotti, Ory, and Smargiasso all followed suit. Freshmen
John Mautz III continued his strong start to his Pioneer career. Mautz found Top Cheddar 3 times in the period, which proved crucial for Malone. While the game appeared all but over with the Pioneers up 21-13 with 1:39 left, the Hawks shots landed between the pipes 4 times. The final effort was not enough and the Pioneers finished ahead 21-17.
DETAILS
WHAT'S NEXT
Malone have their home opener on Friday, February 16th at 2:30 PM. The Pioneers take on William Jewell College at Pioneer Park.
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