HICKORY, N.C. – Junior attack Charlie Sheehan (St. Catharines, Ontario) tallied five goals and the nationally second-ranked Limestone College men's lacrosse team rolled past No. 14 Lenoir-Rhyne University, 19-8, to open the 2017 campaign on Saturday, February 11 at Moretz Stadium.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Score: No. 2 Limestone 19, No. 14 Lenoir-Rhyne 8
Records:  No. 2 Limestone (1-0), No. 14 Lenoir-Rhyne (0-1)
Location: Moretz Stadium
 
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
 

• Sheehan added four groundballs to go with his five goals
• Senior Colton Watkinson (Burlington, Ontario) added two goals and an assist
• Senior attack Brendan P. Smith (West Islip, N.Y.) also tallied two goals and an assist
• Senior Chris Clancy (Peterborough, Ontario) chipped in three points (2 goals, 1 assist)
• Senior specialist Kevin Reisman (West Babylon, N.Y.) went 20-of-22 from the center "X"
• Sophomore keeper Danny Forren (Trumbull, Conn.) earned the win with nine saves

 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
First Quarter
 
Watkinson opened the scoring for the Saints, planting the first goal of the 2017 season just 76 seconds into the contest, but Lenoir-Rhyne responded a few ticks later to even the score at 1-all. The Bears would then register two of the next three goals to take a 3-2 lead with 6:36 left in the opening quarter.
 
Back-to-back goals by Sheehan and Watkinson would allow the Blue and Gold to regain the lead, 4-3, but L-R once again made it a tied contest with the equalizer at the 4:02-mark. That score would hold up over the remainder of the period despite Limestone holding a 17-10 lead in shots attempted.
 
Second Quarter
 
The Saints took a 5-4 lead early in the second quarter when senior attack Dale Cornetta (Dix Hills, N.Y.) fired a laser past the keeper with 9:31 left to play in the half. The Bears equaled the tally midway through the period, but Limestone countered with a 4-0 run over the final 3:49 to take a 9-5 lead at the break.
 
Sheehan broke up the deadlock with a contested shot before Clancy added a score less than a minute later to make it a 7-5 game. Sophomore midfielder Patrick Hanley (Syracuse, N.Y.) then put the Saints on top by three with 1:51 left before Sheehan bookended the run with his third goal of the half.
 
Third Quarter
 
Limestone doubled up the home team, 10-5, to start the third on a rare man-down goal by Smith. A few moments later, freshman attack Tyler Papa (Manlius, N.Y.) recorded his first career goal off a nice feed from freshman midfielder Clark Walter (Port Coquitlam, British Columbia).
 
The Bears then ended a long scoreless drought, one that stretched back to the 5:44-mark of the second quarter, to close the gap to 11-6 with 7:06 left in the third quarter. However, a breakaway score by senior defender Ryan Mulka (Denton, Texas) would give the Blue and Gold a six-goal advantage after three.    
 
Fourth Quarter
 
With a 12-6 lead to start the final frame, Limestone put the game out of reach early in the fourth with four consecutive goals. Smith split the cage for a man-up score less than 30 seconds into the period before Sheehan added his fourth and fifth goals of the day to stake the Saints to a comfortable 10-goal cushion.
 
Lenoir-Rhyne finished off a counterattack with a score by Ryan Bell at the 6:46-mark, but Clancy put to rest any notions of a comeback as his score a few seconds later put Limestone in front 17-7. Forren provided some excitement late as he scored with an 80-yard, open-net goal to help seal the 19-8 win.  
 
TURNING POINT
 
With the score tied at 5-5 midway through the second quarter, Limestone used a 4-0 run to close out the first half to take a lead that it would not surrender the rest of the way. The Saints would then pull away in the second half to claim the season-opening win.
 
NOTABLES
 

• Limestone has now won eight straight season-opening games
• The Saints improve to 6-0 all-time against Lenoir-Rhyne
• Junior midfielder Ryan Maciejewski (Penn Yan, N.Y.) added a goal and an assist
• Walter finished his first collegiate game with a goal and two assists
• Sophomore Coltin Moseman (Malta, N.Y.) chipped in a goal

 
UP NEXT
 
Limestone will open its 2017 home schedule when Seton Hill University visits Saints Field on Saturday, February 18 at 12 p.m.