HIRAM – The Franciscan men's lacrosse team opened the 2019 season at Hiram but the Barons' inexperience caught up with them and dropped the game, 21-3, Saturday afternoon.

The Terriers used a pair of 6-0 first and second quarters to take a 12-0 lead into halftime. Sophomore goalie Grant McKeown (Knoxville, TN/Knoxville Catholic) made 13 of his career-best 21 saves in the first 30 minutes of action.
 
Junior Michael Araps (Springfield, VA/Lake Braddock) got the Barons on the board with his first goal of the season. After a loose ball was picked up by sophomore Nicholas Brierley (Amherst, NY/The Gow School), Araps gained control and fired the ball past the Terrier goalie. The Barons trailed 12-1 with 7:04 to play in the third.
 
Hiram quickly answered with three-straight goals in two minutes of action to push their lead to 15-1 with 5:11 to play. Franciscan won the ensuing faceoff but couldn't maintain control. After Hiram turned the ball back over, senior Dan McCartney (Swanton, OH/St. John's Jesuit) got a shot off but it was blocked and the Terriers took over. Tim Stucky got a shot off by McKeown made the save before the Barons and Terriers traded turnovers. Franciscan got a successful clear with 2:38 to play. Sophomore Jerome Harkins (Somes, NY/Ioan Preparatory School) got his hands free as he was positioned well to the left of the cage and fired home his first career goal to trim the lead to 15-2 with 2:12 to play. Hiram won the next faceoff but freshman Kyle Hruby (Omaha, NE/Skutt Catholic) caused a turnover in front of the net and McKeown picked up the ground ball. Franciscan successfully cleared the ball and McCartney got on the board with his first goal of the season to pull the Barons to with 12, 15-3, with 1:23 to play.
 
The Terriers got one more back to push their lead back to 16-3 after the third quarter. Hiram put up five more goals in the fourth and once again shutout the Barons to seal the 21-3 win.
 
McCartney led the Barons with a goal on 15 shots and picked up seven ground balls. Harkins added a goal and six ground balls while Hruby caused a pair of turnovers.

The Barons get back to action on March 6 when they welcome La Roche to Memorial Field for a 4:00 pm non-conference tilt.