Lynchburg, Va. -- A big third-quarter run sank the seventh-ranked University of Lynchburg men's lacrosse team Tuesday night as the Hornets dropped a 21-11 decision to No. 3 Tufts at home on Shellenberger Field.

Ryan Kenney led the Lynchburg attack with four goals and two assists, while Nate Shafer returned from injury to score twice in his 2022 debut. Dom Zingo led the Hornets' defense with three caused turnovers and two ground balls.

The unbeaten Jumbos (5-0) controlled the game from the face-off X, winning 21 of 33 bouts, and Tufts' helter-skelter style of play forced 34 Hornet turnovers, by far the most of the season for Lynchburg's normally controlled offense.

Lynchburg won the opening face-off and drew blood on the second possession, a Jake Rust goal assisted by A.J. Nieves. Tufts responded with a goal straight off the ensuing face-off, and then the teams locked into battle. Shafer scored at the 7:44 mark in the first shortly after a Tufts penalty, but the Jumbos counterpunched with two quick goals of their own. Kenney and Riley Mitchell found the back of the net to push the score to a 4-4 tie with 1:43 left in the first.

Then came the first Tufts run. The Jumbos ripped off a 4-1 run in the final 1:14 of the period to lead 8-5 after 15 minutes of play.

Kenney scored twice early in the second to keep Lynchburg in it, and the Hornets trailed just 11-9 at halftime after Ian McCarthy scored late in the second.

Tufts came out swinging in the third, though. The visitors pushed out a 7-1 run in the quarter to take control of the game, and they scored thrice more in the fourth to push past the 20-goal mark and ease into victory.

It was the first meeting between the two NCAA Division III powerhouse programs since the 2015 national championship game, a 19-11 Tufts victory.

Lynchburg (5-3) will look to rebound Saturday with the resumption of Old Dominion Athletic Conference play and a trip to Virginia Wesleyan. The two teams haven't squared off since the 2019 season after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of both the 2020 and 2021 dates between the conference rivals. Lynchburg took that last meeting over the Marlins by a 23-4 margin.

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--LYN--