Grantham, Pa. (Apr. 6, 2022)- A late second-half push fell short, as Alvernia University (1-10, 0-3) fell to Messiah University (6-5, 2-0) 13-9 in a MAC Commonwealth men's lacrosse matchup Wednesday night at Messiah.
 
Messiah opened the scoring early in the first stanza, netting a goal in the first 26 seconds of the contest. The Falcons added a goal to their lead minutes later, making the score 2-0 with 10:30 left in the first quarter. Alvernia responded with a goal from Cade Campbell, taking advantage of a man-up opportunity to cut the deficit to one.
 
The Falcons found the back of the net 38 seconds later in response to the Golden Wolves' goal. Messiah continued to grow its lead throughout the rest of the first quarter, taking a 7-1 lead into the second quarter.
 
The second stanza saw Dylan Mercadante ending Alvernia's drought, slipping a shot past the goalie to make it a five-point deficit. The Falcons answered the Golden Wolves with a goal of their own a minute later, pushing the lead back up to six.
 
Messiah expanded its lead throughout the second quarter, adding two more goals midway through the stanza. Ryan Gilman put Alvernia back on the board with 1:47 left in the first half before Messiah answered with a goal of its own. The Falcons took an 11-3 lead into the half over the Golden Wolves.
 
The second half started slow, with both teams struggling to find a groove offensively. It was not until the 8:58 mark in the third stanza that the Golden Wolves broke out of the stalemate. Kenneth Howley found the back of the net with an unassisted goal to make it a seven-point game.
 
Alvernia continued to play hard, with Campbell helping push the pace. Campbell netted a goal for the Golden Wolves with 2:05 left in the stanza, coming off an assist from Peter Capasso. Alvernia's defense held strong, with the defense not allowing a goal throughout the third stanza. The Falcons ended the fourth quarter still on top of the Golden Wolves, 11-5.
 
Alvernia carried its momentum over into the fourth quarter, with Campbell recording a goal off an assist from Gilman to bring the deficit back down to five. The Falcons finally responded with 10:02 left in the contest, netting a goal and ending a 20-minute scoring drought. Messiah kept up the pace, netting another goal just minutes later to make it a seven-point game.
 
The Golden Wolves kept fighting, with Howley recording his second goal of the contest with 7:17 remaining. Mercadante also helped the Alvernia offense with 6:17 remaining in the game, making the score 13-8. Mercadante then recorded another goal just minutes later, with Keith Lake dishing out the assist. Despite the effort, the Golden Wolves were unable to top the Falcons. Messiah ended the contest on top of Alvernia, 13-9.
Campbell and Mercadante led the Golden Wolves with three goals each in the contest. Dane Sabarese recorded 13 saves in net. 
 
The Golden Wolves return to action Saturday as they host Hood at Alvernia.