Lexington, Ky. – The Transylvania men's lacrosse team earned a hotly-contested 6-5 victory against the Thiel College Tomcats at the Rissell-Schreyer Dome on Saturday afternoon.

The victory evens Transylvania's overall record at 3-3 on the season and gives the Pioneers a share of first place in the Ohio River Lacrosse Conferee with a mark of 2-0, while Thiel falls to 1-4 on the year.

Sophomore long-stick midfielder T.J. Toivonen turned in a superb performance that consisted of a goal, an assist, six ground balls, and two caused turnovers in the victory, while senior midfielder Josh Mesmer scored two goals for the Pioneers.

After falling behind early in the first quarter, Transylvania evened the score at 1-1 with a goal from Mesmer on a setup from Toivonen.

Thiel responded by scoring two straight goals to start the second quarter. Sophomore midfielder Jack Stevenson answered for Transylvania with a goal that cut the Tomcats' lead to 3-2 at the half.

The Pioneers took control of the game in the third quarter as they outscored the Tomcats 3-1 thanks to goals from Toivonen, Mesmer, and senior attack Brad Clements.

Sophomore attack Trenton Sneed added an insurance goal for the Pioneers early in the fourth quarter that increased their lead to 6-4 with seven minutes remaining in the game.

A late goal by Thiel cut the Pioneers' lead in half, but Transylvania held on for the tight 6-5 road victory.

The Pioneers posted a 16-13 advantage in ground balls collected over the Tomcats, while forcing 21 Thiel turnovers in the game.  

Transylvania was also a near-perfect 21-22 in clear attempts on the day.

Freshman goalie Michael Webb tallied nine saves for the Pioneers en route to earning the victory between the pipes.

Up next, the Pioneers will return to Lexington for a midweek showdown with the Capital University Crusaders on Wednesday, March 21. Opening face-off between the Crusaders and the Pioneers is set for 7:00 p.m. at Pat Deacon Stadium.

For more on Transylvania men's lacrosse, follow @Transy_Lax on Twitter