BELMONT, N.C. – The Lander men's lacrosse team led No. 12 Belmont Abbey 4-1 midway through the first quarter on Wednesday night, but a scoreless drought of over 28 minutes by the Bearcats allowed the Crusaders to pull away and earn a 19-7 win. 

Lander (3-2) snatched the early momentum when Krew Conroy scored the first goal of the game with 12:44 to go in the first quarter. After Belmont Abbey (4-2) tied the score, Quinn Ingalls, Nolan Oakey, and Jacob Douglas all scored in a span of 2:11 to put the Bearcats ahead 4-1 with 8:26 to play in the opening period. However, the Crusaders then embarked on an 11-0 run to close the first half and take a 12-4 lead into halftime. 

Both teams managed just one goal in the third quarter as Carter Clark put Lander back on the board with a goal at the 9:54 mark. Belmont Abbey outscored Lander 6-2 in the final stanza and netted the night's final five goals to earn the 19-7 win.

Oakey scored twice on the evening, while Adam Mather tallied three assists. Belmont Abbey fired 47 shots to Lander's 26 and held a 39-32 advantage in ground balls. 

Lander plays its first home contest of the month on Saturday when the Bearcats host Alabama Huntsville at 12:00 p.m. 

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