Lynchburg, Va. -- Three performers scored hat tricks in the University of Lynchburg men's lacrosse team's season opener against St. Mary's (MD) en route to a 15-11 victory on Saturday evening on Shellenberger Field.

Liam Holman, Riley Hastings, and Spencer Vandenberg scored three goals apiece in the No. 13/14 Hornets (1-0) win over the Seahawks (1-1). Holman added three assists while Hastings dished out two. Cam Ash and Cole Oprandi each scored twice. Riley Frankel and Kolbe Haug put one in the back of the net as well to round out Lynchburg scorers. Frankel won 15-of-28 faceoff attempts and grabbed a game-high 10 ground balls. 

On the defensive end, Eric Allen stood between the pipes and stopped nine shots. As a team, Lynchburg totaled 12 caused turnovers and four athletes tallied two: Kylar Mahoney, Gabe Menchaca, Jake Morales, and Liam Haley. 

The Hornets got off to a hot start, burying the first two goals of the contest. Oprandi netted the first less than 30 seconds into the affair, then Vandenberg followed at the 13:30-mark. The Seahawks found rhythm later in the opening period, scoring four consecutive goals from 8:46 in the first through the 11:09-mark in the second quarter, earning a 4-2 edge.

Frankel provided an abrupt stop the St. Mary's momentum with a goal directly off the draw, seven seconds after the last Seahawks score. His goal sparked a shift as 39 seconds later, Haug netted his goal, continuing what would be a rally of five straight goals to end the first half. Lynchburg went into the intermission with a 7-4 advantage.

St. Mary's scored the first two out of the break to cut its deficit to one, but the Hornets responded with three straight goals from Oprandi, Hastings, and Vandenberg. The Seahawks sandwiched goals between two consecutive Lynchburg goals, leading to a 12-7 lead for the home team heading into the final period. 

With 9:23 left in the affair, the Seahawks came within two of the Hornets, 13-11, but the Lynchburg defense stood stout the rest of the way. The home squad did not allow a goal for the remainder of the competition and scored two themselves, both coming from Holman, which effectively sealed the game.

The men's lacrosse team now hits the road to take on Pfeiffer in Misenheimer, N.C. - a team that is receiving votes in the national poll - on Saturday, Feb. 21 at 1 p.m.

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