EASTON, Pa. - No. 20 Loyola handed Lafayette men's lacrosse a 16-7 final on Saturday afternoon at Fisher Stadium.

With three goals against the Greyhounds, sophomore Benjamin DiBattista collected his seventh hat trick in 12 games. The Westwood, Mass. native tallied three goals and owns 36 this season, placing him third among his peers in the Patriot League.

Loyola's Matthew Minicus paced the Greyhounds' offense with four goals and a pair of assists. Mason Cook, the conference's leading scorer, chipped in three goals and two assists.

The visitors jumped out to 3-0 lead in the first quarter with goals from Minicus, Brady West and Luke Murphy. With just under two minutes left in the quarter, DiBattista netted his first of the day on an assist by Charlie Foley. Joseph Duggan added a score with 28 seconds on the clock, pulling the Leopards closer (3-2). Loyola answered 25 seconds later, with Minicus finding the back of the net right before the first break for a 4-2 advantage.

The Greyhounds opened the second period with a stretch of four-straight goals (8-2). DiBattista stopped the run at the 2:14 mark with his second goal, but Minicus and Carson Hall added in two more scores with less than two minutes to play for a 10-3 halftime lead. 

In the first half, Loyola won 14 of 15 faceoffs. Lafayette committed seven turnovers, while Loyola surrendered the ball twice.

Five goals were scored in quarter three, four of which belonged to the Greyhounds. Cook led the attack with two goals. Kenan Everhart and Brady Quinn followed, with Quinn's goal capping off a second spurt of four-consecutive goals (14-3). Nicholas Blalock countered with 51 seconds left in the quarter, firing a shot past Loyola goalie Max Watkinson. The visitors entered the final quarter of action with a 14-4 advantage.

Loyola scored at the 10:46 mark for the first goal of the fourth quarter (15-4). Joshua Heaney and the Leopards answered 41 seconds after when Heaney tallied his 14th goal of the campaign. With 7:39 left, DiBattista added another goal to complete the hat trick (15-6). Loyola scored again prior to Heaney's second goal of the quarter to run the final to 16-7.

Joe Doherty moved to 5-6 on the season, allowing all 16 goals. The senior goalkeeper stopped 14 shots for a 46.7 save percentage. Watkinson stopped seven shots and allowed five goals (58.3 save percentage) in the win.

The contest served as Lafayette's Community Youth Day. Following the game, kids were treated to an autograph session and a free clinic to learn and develop new lacrosse skills.

Mext up, the Leopards travel to Boston U. on April 18 for a noon showdown.


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