GREENVILLE, Pa.—Baron Lacrosse fought hard to make up a large, first half deficit but struggled to maintain possession and combat the Tomcat's consistent shooting, eventually falling 23-3 to Thiel College.

"We really had a tough game on our end," head coach Pete Rosaschi said. "The other team had a tremendous first half and they just shellacked us. Everything they shot went in."

Thiel's 59 percent shooting proved to be a stumbling block for FUS, who fell behind by 10 in the first quarter and another four in the second. The turning point came in the last six minutes of the third quarter, when sophomore attack William Erskine scored two goals for the Barons, assisted on the second by freshman Luke Gilman.

Points on the board seemed to spark new resolve for the Barons, who held the Tomcats to eight points in the second half, nearly half of their first half score, and added another goal in the fourth quarter.

"When we got the ball in the second half, our guys stepped up. They were still playing starters but went 8-3 in the second half. Our guys didn't quit and I'm very proud of that aspect of it," Rosaschi said.

Although not enough to put Franciscan back in the game, the Barons' second half push demonstrated their ability to play at a higher level but highlighted their need to find a sweet spot earlier in the game.

"We're getting off to slow starts and we've got to work on that," Rosaschi said.

Rosaschi added that the team's main struggle is acquiring and maintaining possession. The Barons went 1-10 in first quarter face-offs and had just 26 groundballs to Thiel's 41 for the game.

"Our face-offs continue to be an issue. In the first quarter the other team just kept making goals and getting the ball back," Rosaschi said. "We also have to be dedicated to getting the ground balls or that's going to kill us every time."

Positive aspects of the game included the Barons' eight out of nine clear attempts and an improved turnover ratio from previous games, but Rosaschi was most pleased with the men's mental strength in the second half of the game, despite the losing score.

"Our guys have a lot of resolve, I can tell you that," Rosaschi said. "They never quit. No matter what the score is, they're going to finish strong."

Hoping to channel this resolve into more positive first half results, the Barons will next face Southwestern University at home on April 4. The game is scheduled to begin at 4pm.