Men's Lacrosse Drops Season Opener at St. Mary

Leavenworth, Kan., (Feb. 17, 2024)- The Missouri Valley College men's and women's lacrosse teams traveled to Leavenworth, Kan., for a non-conference doubleheader with St. Mary (Kan.), Saturday afternoon.  The Vikings men's team suffered an 11-1 defeat.

The men's game started with a quick shot on goal created by Missouri Valley after the opening draw, but the attempt from Junior Alvaro Atienza (Madrid, Spain) was saved.  The two teams traded possession and ground balls over the next several minutes.  St. Mary eventually held possession and put a shot on goal that was saved by Junior Goalkeeper Jake Lipscomb (Boiling Springs, S.C.).  However, the Spires came down with the loose-ball and scored moments later to go in front, 1-0, with just over five minutes off the clock.  Lipscomb came up with three more saves after the ensuing draw to keep MVC at the one goal deficit.  The Vikings were unable to create a shot on goal through the rest of play in the quarter, and Lipscomb made two more saves before time expired to keep it a 1-0 score.

Play in the second quarter featured an early goal scored from the Spires, with less than two minutes off the clock, to hold a 2-0 advantage.  Junior Jordan Bracamonte (Tucson, Ariz.) followed with a shot on goal for MVC, but his shot was saved.  St. Mary continued to apply pressure on offense, and forced Lipscomb into another save.  However, the Vikings played with a man-down moments later after a penalty, and conceded another goal to trail, 3-0, near the eight-minute mark.  The Spires took control lform there, and tacked on another three goals over the following three minutes of play to stay ahead, 6-0.  One more goal was added in the final two minutes, and MVC trailed at halftime, 7-0.

The third quarter featured St. Mary extending its lead out to 9-0.  Missouri Valley created a goal quickly after the start of the fourth quarter, as Atienza set up Sophomore Carson Wiley (Carstairs, Alberta) with the shot that cut the deficit to 9-1 less than one minute into play.  However, the Vikings were unable to work back any closer through the rest of the game, and fell, 11-1.

Wiley scored one goal, and Atienza added one assist and 10 ground balls.  Junior Aleix Costa (Barcelona, Spain) created a team-high seven turnovers and scooped up 10 ground balls.  Lipscomb made 21 saves and came up with eight ground balls in the game.  Missouri Valley created 23 turnovers and came up with 46 ground balls.

Missouri Valley drops to 0-1 on the season, while St. Mary improves to 1-2.

Up next, the Viking women's lacrosse team hosts Drury (Mo.), Wednesday at 4 p.m., inside Volney C. Ashford Stadium.

Box Score-Click Here 

ABOUT MISSOURI VALLEY COLLEGE

Known for its dynamic, richly diverse, and friendly educational environment, Missouri Valley College offers many opportunities to grow in mind, body, and spirit. Grounded in the liberal arts, undergraduate studies empower students to master interdisciplinary skills needed to succeed in a knowledge-based global society. MVC offers over 30 academic programs, study abroad program, extracurricular activities, and a wide variety of sports. The most popular majors include education and business, criminal justice and exercise science. Above all, Valley is committed to student success. For more information, call (660) 831-4000 or visit www.moval.edu.