ANNVILLE, PA (April 6, 2024) -- The King's College men's lacrosse team came out to a strong start in their Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom (MAC Freedom) opener on Saturday afternoon, but the host Lebanon Valley College outscored King's 9-1 in the second half as the Monarchs fell, 15-5. With the loss, the Monarchs drop to 1-7 overall and 0-1 in the MAC Freedom standings, while the Flying Dutchmen improve to 5-6 with a 1-0 conference mark.
 
The Dutchmen got on the board first with 11:48 to go in the opening quarter before John Wall found Ryan Lynch with 7:48 on the clock to tie the game early. Lebanon Valley (5-6, 1-0 MAC Freedom) then tallied three unanswered goals to go ahead, 4-1, with 4:55 in the opening frame, but Wall responded off an assist from Ben Spencer to close within 4-2 at the end of the first.
 
King's (1-7, 0-1 MAC Freedom) dominated the second quarter, holding a 14-8 edge in shots, forcing seven Dutchmen turnovers, and winning three face offs. The Monarchs capitalized on these efforts on an unassisted goal by Ben Spencer with 12:21 left in the half. King's then tied the game again at 4-4 on Spencer's second goal with 6:18 remaining, but the Dutchmen put up two quick goals to take a 6-4 edge heading into the locker room.
 
The third quarter went to Lebanon Valley as they took control of the contest with a 12-4 advantage. King's put one final score on the board as Joe Giannella found the back of the net out of a timeout in a man-down opportunity, but the efforts fell shy in a 15-5 setback in their MAC Freedom opener in Annville on Saturday afternoon.
 
Spencer led the offense with three points on two goals and an assist, while Lynch tallied a team-high seven shots. Geno Casceillo recorded a team-best six ground balls while winning nine face offs, and Ryan Dolphin paced the defensive effort with three caused turnovers. Jackson Campbell picked up the loss in goal, making 10 saves with three ground balls.
 
The Dutchmen were led by Trey Ralston with five points on four goals and an assist, while Jake Bollinger had a balanced effort with 10 shots, six ground balls, and two caused turnovers. Additionally, Miles Snyder won 12 face offs, and Kellen Markley earned the win as the starter with five saves.
 
King's tallied 30 shots and 26 ground balls in the loss while forcing 18 Dutchmen turnovers. The Monarchs were slightly edged in face offs, 12-11, and held Lebanon Valley to an 0-3 effort in extra-man opportunities.
 
The Monarchs will return to McCarthy Stadium for a two-game home stand beginning with a match up with Stevens on Wednesday, April 10. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m.