BOSTON – The Lafayette men's lacrosse team hung tough through most of the opening half on the road on Saturday afternoon, but Boston U. proved too tough overall in Boston, Massachusetts, downing the Leopards by a final of 17-9.

Senior Connar Dehnert's goal just over a minute into the contest opened the scoring on the day, but the Terriers responded with a pair to take a 2-1 lead after three minutes. Freshman Cole Dutton provided the answer for the Maroon and White at 8:40, but BU added two more to head into the first break with a 4-2 advantage.

Lafayette came out in the second and swung momentum back its way as Dutton and sophomore Bryan Hess tied it at 4-4 with 9:16 to play in the half. Unfortunately, the Terriers responded with a six-goal run over the next 6:21 to open it up into the halftime intermission, leading 10-5.

The Terriers continued that momentum into the second half, scoring the only four goals in the third to take the game to the final frame at 14-5. The Leopards fought through the final 15 minutes, but the deficit was too much to overcome, closing out defeat with a final of 17-9.

Dutton led the way offensively for the Maroon and White with four points on two goals and two assists. Dehnert and classmate Andrew Robbins added a pair of tallies, while senior co-captain Conor Walters added a goal and an assist.

Freshman Ryan Ness made a pair of saves in his first half of action between the pipes. Sophomore Jake Floyd-Jones saw his first action of the season with four saves and seven goals allowed in 28:46, and senior Jonathan Anastos closed it out with a save in the final 1:14.

Boston U. led in shots by a 41-28 margin and picked up 41 ground balls compared to 22 for the Maroon and White. The Terriers won 24-of-29 at the X, but Lafayette forced 18 turnovers and committed just 14 of its own.

Next up for the Leopards is a trip to UMBC on Saturday for a 12 p.m. matchup with the Retrievers.