SAINT AUGUSTINE, Fla. – The Barton men's lacrosse team (1-5) fell to No. 12 Flagler (6-1) by a 14-8 score Tuesday afternoon at Saints Field.
Flagler's Trace McDonald (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) and Ben Nyberg (Chantilly, Va.) both scored three goals as the Saints rallied from a 5-3 deficit early in the second quarter to win their fifth straight contest.
Barton junior attacker
Nick Nelson (Wilmington, N.C.) and freshman midfielder
Jake Ellerson (Holly Springs, N.C.) both scored three goals each as well but the Bulldogs suffered their fourth straight setback. Nelson leads the team in scoring this year so far with 17 points.
With the score tied at six-all at intermission, the Saints took control by scoring the first four goals in the third stanza including the game-winner by Brandon Grusholt (Annapolis, Md.) just 25 seconds into the frame.
Flagler held the advantage in both shots taken (49-24) and ground balls (33-21) while Josh Stevens (Glen Rock, Pa.) made five saves while earning the win for the home team. Barton's goalkeeper,
Nate Lehr (Chenango Bridge, N.Y.), suffered the loss despite 19 saves on the afternoon.
Barton opens Conference Carolinas play on Saturday at 1:00 p.m., against Young Harris in Young Harris, Ga., while Flagler hosts Saint Leo on Saturday beginning at 7:00 p.m.
