Naperville, Ill. – The Transylvania men's lacrosse team came up short on Friday night in a game against the North Central College Cardinals, losing 14-8. A tough first half proved too much to overcome, as Transy came to life as the night went on but ran out of time on the night. 

The Pioneers delivered the first strike of the contest right away, as Andrew Hamill scored just 23 seconds in. From there, North Central pushed back with four unanswered goals to close out the quarter, leading Transy 4-1.

Another tally from the Cardinals made it a 5-1 game, but just over five minutes into the second Bryce Lowe scored on an assist from Ryan Geisler, and Dalton Hubbs tacked on another at the 7:48 mark. The back to back goals re-energized the Transylvania squad as it was a 5-3 game, but North Central put up two more to close out the half with a 7-3 lead.

The game still in reach, Transy looked to turn the tide with a half to go. The comeback hopes were dashed by a third quarter in which the Cardinals added four more, taking an 11-3 lead late into the third. AJ Teague put the Pioneers back on the board in the final minute of the quarter, but Transylvania still found themselves in need of a big rally with 15 minutes remaining.

Quinn Fox found the back of the net on a setup from Peyton Bray in the opening minute of the quarter as the Pios continued to fight. Offensively, Transylvania had their best quarter of the night in the final frame, as Fox added another tally along with two more from Hamill. However, North Central scored three in the fourth as well, as the deficit was too much too late. The Pioneers were defeated by a final score of 14-8.

Besides Hamill's hat trick, Bray made an impact with 9 ground balls, good for most of anyone in the contest. Evan Deskins followed with 6 ground balls of his own, setting a new career high. Transylvania were able to create chances, including a game leading 7 shots on goal from Lowe, but ultimately were unable to convert enough of them on a tough night. 

Transylvania will look to carry their fourth quarter momentum right into tomorrow, Saturday April 30^th, as they play Augustana College (Ill.) once again in Naperville, with a 2:00 PM scheduled start. The team will look for a bounce back to close out the regular season.

For more information on Transylvania men's lacrosse, be sure to follow @Transy_Lax on Twitter.