EASTON, Pa. – Freshman Macklin Fitzpatrick recorded his first career hat trick and classmate James Turco won 17-of-27 faceoffs to help the Lafayette men's lacrosse team climb back into the game in the second half of a 16-8 loss to No. 15/16 Army on Saturday afternoon at Fisher Stadium.
 
Fitzpatrick scored the first of the game for the Maroon and White and went back-to-back at the start of the third quarter for the best offensive output of his young career. His tallies came on six shots on the afternoon.
 
Lafayette was forced to flip the script in the third, following an 11-1 halftime deficit, and did just that, scoring five of the eight goals in the third frame. The two sides split two goals apiece in the fourth for the 16-8 final margin.
 
Turco was the other headliner on the day, registering his best performance of the season at the X. Turco won 7-of-9 at the X during a Lafayette-controlled third period.
 
Freshmen Nick Jessen and Ian McCauley scored two goals apiece for the Maroon and White and junior co-captain Bryan Hess rounded out the scoring with one. Sophomore Ryan Ness made 11 saves between the pipes with four in the fourth-quarter, playing all 60 minutes in defeat.
 
Army led in shots, 50-37, but Lafayette led 24-18 in the second 30 minutes. The Black Knights held a 33-32 edge in ground balls, but again, Lafayette controlled the second stanza, 16-12.
 
Next up for the Leopards is a trip to Hamilton, N.Y. next Saturday to battle Colgate at 3:30 p.m.