CENTER VALLEY, Pa. - The Messiah men's lacrosse team fell to the DeSales University Bulldogs Saturday afternoon on the road 12-9. The second quarter proved to be the difference in the game, as the Bulldogs scored five times to take an 8-3 lead into halftime after the game was tied 3-3 after the first quarter. Messiah outscored DeSales 6-4 in the second half, but ultimately could not complete the comeback.

Garrett Amsbaugh and Hunter Bellows both recorded their second hat trick in as many games to start the 2020 season, with Bellows also picking up an assist in the contest. After the loss, Messiah drops to 0-2 to start the season, as they will be back in action Wednesday afternoon for their home opener against Stockton University at 7:00 p.m.

All Knotted Up Early On
The Bulldogs scored the first two goals of the game less than 10 minutes into the contest to give themselves an early 2-0 lead. This lead would become 3-0 just a few minutes later, putting Messiah in an early hole.

They would not be in the hole long as Hunter Bellows and Garrett Amsbaugh helped tie the game at 3-3 with the Falcons scoring a trio of goals in just 2:04 to send the game into the second quarter all tied up. Amsbaugh put a pair in the back of the cage while Bellows scored one during the stretch.

Bulldogs Dominate Second Quarter
The second quarter would be a different story however, as DeSales outscored Messiah 5-0 in the quarter with two of them being man-up goals. The Bulldogs only allowed two Messiah shots on cage in the quarter, as they took an 8-3 lead into the break.

Comeback Falls Short
Messiah dominated the third quarter in shots taken with 17 to DeSales 11, but only five of them were on goal for the Falcons. Liam Lilienthal scored his first two goals of the season to help get Messiah within five in the game, and send the game into the fourth quarter with DeSales leading 11-5.

The teams would trade goals to begin the fourth quarter before the Falcons made things interesting late. Sam Stone cut the lead to four at 12-8 before Hunter Bellows got his second goal of the quarter with an unassisted strike to cut the lead to just three at 12-9. This would be the closest Messiah got, as the Bulldogs were able to halt the comeback attempt and win 12-9.

Inside The Box Score
As mentioned, Garrett Amsbaugh and Hunter Bellows led Messiah in the game with their second hat tricks of the season. The Falcons outshot the Bulldogs 42-34 in the contest, with four Falcons scoring in the game.

What's Up Next
With the loss, the Falcons drop to 0-2 early on in the 2020 season, as they will be back in action for their home opener Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. against Stockton University. These two teams met last season at Stockton on Apr. 16, with the Ospreys picking up the 18-14 win.