Frostburg, Md. - The St. Thomas Aquinas College Men's Lacrosse team made the drive south to Maryland for a Saturday afternoon East Coast Conference contest with Frostburg State University at Bobcat Stadium. Holding a 9-1 advantage at halftime, the host Bobcats let their foot off the gas just enough for the Spartans to climb back into the contest, before slamming the door on a full comeback attempt to take a 14-9 decision.

STAC falls to 3-8 overall and 0-3 in ECC play, while Frostburg State improves to 8-4 and 3-1.

Christian Rodriguez (1 assist) and Nicola Greer led the Spartans' offense with a hat trick apiece, while Wilson Ingalls, Ethan Urbanski and Nicholas Kostewicz tallied a goal apiece. Hayden Gaudette (L, 3-8) got the start in between the pipes for the maroon and gold and stopped 16 of 30 shots fired in his direction.

Meanwhile, Frostburg State was led by Jack Hooks (1 assist) and Jackson Kanzler netted a pair of goals each. Teammates Hayden Celeio (1 goal, 2 assists), Ryder Walter (1 goal), Tyrin Long (1 goal), Keegan Green (1 goal), Logan Yost (1 goal), Josh High (1 goal), Luke Roach (1 goal), Mike Gloeckler (1 goal), Jack Laye (1 goal) and Alex Tyler (1 goal) added to the totals on the scoreboard for the Bobcats. Goalie Lukasz Barmosz (W, 1-0) got the start in net and made 6 stops on 8 shots in almost 37 minutes of action to earn the victory. Fellow netminders Jack Smith and Riley Semmes also saw action in the match, with Smith turning away 2 of 7 shots in a little over 19 minutes of play and Semmes making 1 save on 3 shots in just over four minutes of work.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

St. Thomas Aquinas opened the scoring in the first quarter, as Nicola Greer found the net on an unassisted effort to give the Spartans an early 1–0 lead. Frostburg State quickly responded, with Tyrin Long leveling the score before Ryder Walter capitalized on a feed from Jack Hooks to put the Bobcats in front. Hooks then added a goal of his own off an assist from Sean Mullineaux, giving Frostburg State a 3–1 advantage at the end of the opening quarter.

The second quarter was dominated by Frostburg State, which took full control of the game with an explosive offensive run. Logan Yost sparked the surge with an unassisted goal, followed by scores from Jackson Kanzler and Josh High—both set up by Sean Mullineaux. Kanzler added his second of the quarter, and late goals from Jack Laye and Mike Gloeckler capped a relentless stretch, sending the Bobcats into halftime with a commanding 9–1 lead.

Frostburg State continued to build on its momentum in the third quarter. Jack Hooks added his second goal of the game off a pass from Hayden Celio, and Luke Roach followed with another tally to extend the lead to 11–1. St. Thomas Aquinas showed signs of life late in the quarter, as Nicola Greer converted on a man-up opportunity off an assist from Christian Rodriguez, and Rodriguez later scored off a feed from Nathan Thomas to cut the deficit to 11–3 heading into the final frame.

In the fourth quarter, St. Thomas Aquinas mounted a late push. Christian Rodriguez opened the scoring in the period with an unassisted goal, but Frostburg State answered with back-to-back tallies from Hayden Celio and Keegan Green to maintain control. The Spartans responded with a flurry of their own, including man-up goals from Wilson Ingalls and Nicholas Kostewicz, along with another strike from Rodriguez, trimming the margin. However, Frostburg State stayed in command, as Alex Tyler added an unassisted goal to halt the momentum. Late scores from Ethan Urbanski and another man-up finish by Nicola Greer rounded out the scoring, but the comeback effort fell short as Frostburg State secured a 14–9 victory.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

• Frostburg State outshot STAC 55-34 (30-18 on goal) for the match.
• Christian Rodriguez tallied a match-high nine shots, with five going on goal for St. Thomas Aquinas.
• Austin Palen gathered eight of the Spartans 42 ground balls.
• Nicola Greer, Ethan Urbanski, Hayden Gaudette and Timothy Fisher caused a Bobcats turnover apiece on the afternoon.
• STAC won 21 of 26 faceoffs, with Vinny Rosario winning 10 of 14 draws and Austin Palen winning 11 of 12 battles in the circle.

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