Demorest, GA – The Piedmont College men’s lacrosse team fell on hard luck in a 12-3 loss to visiting Transylvania University earlier this evening at Walker Athletic Complex as the Pioneers denied PC its first three-game winning streak of 2015.
Transy only outshot the Lions 35-31 in the contest with each team making 13 saves on the day, but the Pioneers were able to put more in the back of the net for the 9-goal win while PC’s offense went dormant in the 2nd half allowing the visitors to slip away.
The Pioneers were led by a pair with three goals each in Josh Mesmer and Zach Roby while David Smith and Clark Watts each added two. Piedmont’s three goals all came in the first 23 minutes of the contest with Steve Blanchard scoring two to keep alive a four-game stretch where the senior from Ft. Mill, South Carolina has scored multiple goals.
In Blanchard’s last two contests, the veteran scored exactly five and looked to be headed toward another big night when he scored the game’s first goal less than three minutes in to hand Piedmont a 1-0 lead in the opening quarter. Transy answered with three straight to reassume control 3-1 with just over a minute to go in the first quarter, but Piedmont’s Nick Green was able to find the net to cut the margin in half as the Pioneers led 3-2 after one.
Green’s score with 25 seconds remaining in the first extended a five-game scoring streak for the senior, but Piedmont’s offense would start to slow down from the 2nd quarter on while Transy stayed consistent scoring three in each of the four periods.
Two goals from the Pioneers opened the 2nd quarter scoring after Piedmont was able to hold the visitors scoreless during a 2-man down situation with 12:40 to go in the period. With Transy’s two putting the visitors up 5-2, Blanchard looked to keep his team in it with a goal at the 7:29 mark of the 2nd, less than 30 seconds after the Pioneers had scored to take the 3-goal lead.
Up two (5-3) with three to play before the halftime break, Transylvania got a score from Josh Mesmer to double up PC at 6-3 just before the two teams took the ten minutes before the final two quarters. Transy outshot the home team 13-5 in that second quarter with the Mesmer goal taking the air out of any Piedmont rally before the end of the quarter.
Long Transy possessions in the third helped the Pioneers control the pace though Piedmont would outshoot the visitors in both the third and fourth quarters. Despite the attacks, the Pioneers converted when needed ending the contest with seven unanswered goals including five unassisted efforts to take a 12-3 win over PC.
Piedmont was led in the shots department by Nick Green who took 11, the only Lion in double figures in that column on the night. Patrick Ammons won four of his five face-off attempts while three Lions led the team with three caused turnovers each in Ryan Price, Steve Miraglia, and Josh Schmidt.
Ammons also led the team with his five ground balls while Spencer Ortis and Sumner Gantz each collected four.
The loss moves PC to 3-4 now on the year with the Lions losing for the first time in the month of March.
Piedmont will hit the road for a neutral site contest with Wesley College at Nation Ford High School in South Carolina on Saturday, March 14 before returning home for a March 17 contest vs. Concordia University out of Wisconsin.
