Lindenwood deals Men's Lacrosse second straight defeat

By Matt Green

ST. CHARLES, Mo. -- Ben Janes scored three goals and dished out one assist, but host Lindenwood University battled back from a 4-1 deficit at the end of the first quarter to score a 15-7 victory over Shorter University in a non-league men's lacrosse matchup in St. Charles, Mo., on Sunday.

The loss, Shorter's second straight after a three-game winning streak, drops the Hawks to 8-8 with one game remaining in the season. Shorter, which dropped a 14-4 decision to Lindenwood on Ben Brady Field earlier this season, was simply unable to hold onto early momentum that resulted in a three-goal lead after 15 minutes of play.

Janes scored twice and Matt Kristiansen and Kyle Van Kauwenberg once each for Shorter as the Hawks dominated the opening period to take a 4-1 lead. Lindenwood turned the tide in the second period, however, outscoring the Hawks 5-0 in the frame. Lindenwood's Josh Arras scored with :01 left in the half to send the Lions into the locker room with a 6-4 lead.

The onslaught continued in the second half as the Lions (6-5) netted the first two goals of the third quarter to take an 8-4 lead. Janes scored his third and final goal of the game on a man-up opportunity with 8:42 left in the third quarter to bring Shorter to within 8-5, but Lindenwood proceeded to score four unanswered goals to reassume control of the game. Arras' goal at the 9:20 mark of the fourth quarter capped the spurt and made it 12-5 in favor of the Lions.

Scott Dangel and Michael Matthews also scored for the Hawks, who were outshot 52-25 on the day. Lindenwood won 17 of 23 face offs and forced 29 Shorter turnovers. The Hawks were, however, an impressive 4-for-5 on man-up opportunities.

Shorter closes out the 2012 season on Tuesday with a face off against NCAA Division II Adams State.