MOUNT OLIVE (Feb. 4) – In the season opener at the Ray McDonald Sr. Sports Complex, the Trojans fell to an 11-7 margin against Lander in non-conference action on Saturday afternoon. 
 
With the loss, the University of Mount Olive men's lacrosse program drops to 0-1 this season after being picked second in the preseason Conference Carolinas poll. Meanwhile, Lander opens the year 1-0 overall after being selected as the preseason favorite alongside Montevallo in the Peach Belt Conference (PBC).
 
Lander was first to get on the board in the initial three minutes of the game with a goal by Kyle DeCrispino, 1-0. The Trojans quickly responded back with a goal by senior Samuel Skousen assisted by junior Elijah Cobb at the 11:26 mark of the match, 1-1. Shortly after, junior Chapman Parker scored a goal off a pass by Cobb to take the lead, 2-1. UMO remained scoreless for the remainder of the first quarter as the Bearcats took a 4-2 advantage on three goals in the final seven-plus minutes. In the second quarter, DeCrispino extended the lead to 5-2 at the 13:52 mark of the game. In response, senior Chaz Goodman scored off a pass by Travis Pullan to close the gap, 5-3. As the final minutes of the half were closing, the Trojans trailed 6-5 with goals following goals from graduate students Blake Tallon and Braydon Hickey.
 
After halftime, the Bearcats stretched the lead to 8-5 with two goals in under a minute. UMO remained scoreless until the 7:34 mark before junior Aidan Lalonde put one past the keeper from a pass by senior Chance Urban, 8-6. In the closing minutes of the third quarter, Skousen scored his second goal of the game before Lander closed the quarter with a goal, leading 9-7. Over the final 15 minutes of the game, Mount Olive battled hard to earn more scoring opportunities before the Bearcats sealed their road victory with a goal at the 2:53 mark, 11-7.
 
Junior goalkeeper Jacob Brown earned 12 saves while facing 23 shots on goal on Saturday in the season-opener.

Mount Olive held the shot advantage 47-33, with 28-23 shots on goal. The Trojans also secured a 39-17 edge in ground balls over Lander. 
 
Senior Mike Marto won 16 out of 22 face-offs. Skousen led the team with two goals and sophomore Brady Laurance led the team with seven ground balls. 

UMO returns to play on Saturday, Feb. 11 as they travel to Catawba for a non-conference match at 1:00 p.m.