WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The Palm Beach Atlantic men's lacrosse team hosted the No.19 Lynn Fighting Knights in its last game of the season. PBA was in the lead for 50 consecutive minutes but fell short, 9-8.
The Sailfish came out strong both offensively and defensively in the game. Curtis Goddard started the scoring for the 'Fish after five minutes of play. Cooper Porter followed with a goal of his own when he passed his defender and swung the ball into the net, giving PBA an early 2-0 lead. Lynn responded with a goal before PBA extended its lead. With 5:46 left, Tyler Hopkins received a pass from Goddard and shot into the cage. PBA won the face off right after Hopkins' goal, allowing Keegan Southard to score his first goal of the game. A few minutes later, Goddard made a spin move around his defender before netting a low shot. The Sailfish defense stayed compact throughout the quarter, only allowing two shots on goal. Led by goalie Brendan Pedisich, the 'Fish entered the second quarter with a 5-2 lead.
PBA continued to stand up against Lynn's offense in the second quarter. While the PBA attackers struggled to score in the first minutes of the frame, they were determined to win the ball back in defense. With 10 minutes left, Patrick Law covered the ball from the Lynn defender and ran toward the goal before he swung the ball into the net. The Fighting Knights scored their only goal of the period with five minutes left before PBA extended its lead twice. Assisted by Douglas Landrum, K. Southard did a spin move around his defender before scoring. Cooper Laughlin gave PBA a five-goal advantage when he shot from a distance in a man-up situation. The 'Fish were successful in their face off attempts in the first half, winning 9-for-13. Goalie Pedisich along with his defensemen continued to battle Lynn's offense and contributed to PBA's 8-3 lead at the halftime break.
The 'Fish defense resisted the Fighting Knights from scoring in the first minutes of the third quarter. At the same time, the Fighting Knight's goalie saved every shot against him, giving Lynn a chance to get back into the game. With 9:35 left, Lynn started its 5-0 run that lasted the rest of the game. The Sailfish struggled to establish offensive plays while the Fighting Knights scored from both a man-up situation and shots from outside the crease. With one quarter left, the 'Fish was still in the lead, 8-6.
The last quarter looked similar to the previous one. PBA battled in defense while it struggled to find the net in offense. The Fighting Knights started to pressure the 'Fish, showing that they did not want to lose in the last regular conference game of the year. Two offside penalties for PBA allowed Lynn to score twice in man-up situations. With five minutes left of the game, the two teams were tied 8-8. After having the lead for 50 consecutive minutes, PBA could no longer stand up against the No. 19 in the nation. Lynn completed its comeback when it netted the final goal of the game with three minutes left to play. PBA was defeated, 9-8.
Goddard and K. Southard scored two goals each in the game. Goalie Pedisich had 16 shots against him, saving seven of them. The Sailfish won 13 of the 21 face-offs in the game. The'Fish had 22 shots on goal compared to the Knight's 16 shots on goal. PBA picked up 42 ground balls, while Lynn picked up 30.
