GAFFNEY, S.C. – Junior attack Owen Consoletti (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) matched a season-high with five goals and the defense limited No. 11 Belmont Abbey College to one score in the second half, leading the nationally 19^th-ranked Limestone University lacrosse team to a 13-9 win in the regular season finale.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Score: No. 19 Limestone 13, No. 11 Belmont Abbey 7
Records: No. 19 Limestone (9-3), No. 11 Belmont Abbey (8-4)
Location: Saints Field
 
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
 

• Consoletti finished with six points overall and collected five groundballs
• Freshman midfielder Chris Erneston IV (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) added four goals
• Freshman attack Frank Smith (Bayville, N.Y.) scored once and dish out a pair of assists
• Graduate midfielder Jake Crotser (Oneonta, N.Y.) logged a goal
• Senior midfielder Dorian Faster (New Freedom, Pa.) also tacked on a goal for the Saints
• Junior midfielder Trent Kellner (Port Coquitlam, British Columbia) chipped in a score
• Junior Steve Werner (Dallastown, Pa.) posted three caused turnovers and four groundballs
• Senior Dakota Kirsch-Downs (Odenton, Md.) went 8-of-11 at the "X" with five groundballs
• Senior specialist Christopher Parrott (Havre de Grace, Md.) posted nine faceoff wins
• Graduate keeper William Baxter (Manchester, England) recorded eight saves
• Limestone went 4-of-6 on extra-man opportunities to shift the momentum
• The Saints finished with a 43-21 edge in shots attempted and a 45-24 margin in groundballs

 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
First Quarter
 
The Limestone offense got off a slow start, despite logging five shot attempts in the early stages, and the Crusader capitalized by opening the game with three straight goals over the first nine minutes. However, Erneston would put the Saints on the board with 5:14 left in the opening quarter with an unassisted goal.
 
Kellner followed up with his only score of the evening a few moments later, cutting the Limestone deficit to one goal, but the Abbey quickly doubled up the Blue and Gold, 4-2, with a tally off the ensuing faceoff.
 
Second Quarter
 
As they have all season, the Saints took advantage of extra-man opportunities early in the second quarter, tying the game up at 4-all with 9:51 remaining on man-up goals from Consolleti and Erneston. Smith assisted on the first extra-man score while Erneston planted his 12^th goal of the year unassisted.
 
Belmont Abbey retook the lead with back-to-back goals midway through the period, but Limestone scored twice down the stretch to even things up. Following a turnover by the Abbey keeper on a clear attempt, Consoletti logged his second goal of the game on an empty net before sophomore Jason Madden (Walnut Creek, Calif.) found Erneston for the equalizer to knot the game at 6-all just before the break.
 
Third Quarter
 
The Blue and Gold extended the overall scoring run to 5-0 with three quick strikes to start the third period, grabbing it first lead of the night. Consoletti buried consecutive man-up goals, the first assisted by Smith and the second on dish from junior midfielder Connor Grauer (Riverhead, N.J.), to make it an 8-6 contest.
 
Smith capped the run with his 29^th goal of the season to hand the Saints a 9-6 cushion, but the Crusaders halted the momentum with a late score. However, Limestone would pull in front, 10-7, at the end of the third as Erneston beat the shot clock by splitting the cage with a long-range strike, his fourth of the game.
 
Fourth Quarter
 
The Saints pushed the lead to 11-7 less than five minutes into the final period as Consoletti found Crotser in transition before putting the affair out of reach a few ticks later as Faster logged his first goal of the year. Consoletti applied the final touches on the 13-7 win late in regulation with his fifth score of the night.
 
TURNING POINT
 
After falling behind 3-0 early and then 4-2 at the end of the first, Limestone used extra-man opportunities to get back into the contest. The Abbey regained the lead, 6-4, midway through the second, but the Saints rattled off five straight goals, including a pair of man-up scores, and closed the game on a 9-1 run.
 
NOTABLES
 

• The Saints have 12 extra-man goals over their last three games
• Limestone has won two straight against ranked opponents during its current four-game win streak
• Consoletti logged his second game of the season with three extra-man goals
• The Blue and Gold has had a player post three man-up goals in a game three-times this year
• Saturday's game against Belmont Abbey was the first as nonconference opponents

 
UP NEXT
 
With the regular season now in the books, the Saints turn their attention to postseason play as they prepare for their first South Atlantic Conference Championship Tournament. Limestone will have to play a rare quarterfinal game after not clinching a regular season title for the first time since the 1998 campaign.
 
As the third seed in the conference tournament, the Blue and Gold will host Coker University in the SAC Quarterfinals on Tuesday, April 20 at Saints Field.