WILKES-BARRE, PA (April 7, 2021) -- The King's College men's lacrosse team sprinted out of the gates with two early goals against visiting Arcadia University, delighting home fans that were in the stands at McCarthy Stadium for the first time this season. Unfortunately for the hosts, Arcadia scored the next 11 en route to a 26-8 win in Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom (MAC Freedom) action Wednesday evening. 

The Monarchs (1-6, 1-4 MAC Freedom) scored two quick goals out of the gate as senior Gabe Vansuch set up fellow senior Michael O'Brien after 100 seconds of play. Junior Brendan Gambino tallied his eight of the season with help from Trevor Douenias 21 seconds later, as the early momentum was on the side of the host Monarchs. 

Arcadia (5-4, 4-1 MAC Freedom) settled down and rattled off the final 10 goals of the first quarter to take a 10-2 lead into the second stanza. During the run, graduate student Clo Muscara tallied three times, while Billy Burton also had a pair of goals. 

The run would finally end at 11-2 as Gambino scored with 9:56 to go in the half unassisted, followed by a score from newcomer Ryan Barnes to make it 11-4. AU answered with four right before halftime including two by Brian Albertsen to make it 15-4 at the break. 

Arcadia would keep the offensive momentum going into the second half, outscoring the Monarchs 11-4 after the break to keep pace at the top of the MAC Freedom standings. Gambino finished with two goals on six shots, while Vansuch had a pair of helpers as well. 

Senior Charlie Alessi posted a season-high two goals on three shots, and O'Brien also tallied again for two on the night. Douenias finished 15-of-30 on face-offs Wednesday, posting 13 ground balls, while first-year Alex Tristan finished with six ground balls in the loss. First-year face-off man Geno Casciello also won three draws, adding three ground balls. 

Sophomores Jackson Campbell and Matt Wall split the game in net for the Monarchs, each making eight saves. Muscara finished with a game-high seven points for the Knights, tying Albertsen for the game-best with five goals. Burton potted four goals, and Wesley Sporer also scored three times to go with one assist.