Second-Half Spark Not Enough for LAX vs. Purchase

NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Mitchell College men's lacrosse team dropped a 15-7 decision to Purchase College on Wednesday afternoon in a non-conference showdown at Alumni Field.

The Mariners trailed 9-1 after the first half but rallied back behind five straight goals to start the second. However, the deficit proved too great, as the Panthers bounced back to score six of the final seven goals to seal the victory.

James Felix led Purchase with six goals and two assists and Dylan Gethicker added four goals and three helpers. Goalie Matt Sayegh finished with 18 saves in the win.

Kevin Flores paced Mitchell with two goals and two assists while Jade Shields also added a pair of markers and one assist. Jesse McKeever went 10-for-16 at the face-off spot and scooped up a game-high 12 ground balls.

Tyler Kehoe scored two goals in the opening quarter to stake the Panthers to a 3-1 lead after 15 minutes of play. Purchase then dominated the second quarter by a 6-0 margin—getting a pair of goals from both Felix and Gethicker—to extend the lead to 9-1 by intermission.

Mitchell's offense ignited in the early stages of the second half. Flores facilitated the first two goals, finding Reilly Steele and Jade Shields for scores in the opening minutes of the stanza. Jack Dalton scored at the seven-minute mark, and Flores followed with a pair of goals just 36 seconds apart to cut the deficit to 9-6 with 5:16 remaining in the period.

Felix steadied the Panthers with a pair of goals to buffer the lead back to five. After Shields netted a man-up goal for the Mariners, Isaac Aguero capped the third-quarter scoring with a goal with eight seconds to go to put the Panthers up 12-7 heading into the final period.

Felix scored twice in the final 15 minutes as the Panthers wrapped up their third win in four games. Purchase finished with a 44-43 edge in shots and a 42-32 advantage in ground balls.

Mitchell goalie Marcel Quinlan made 17 saves in the loss.

Mitchell (0-11 overall) will close out the regular season with a home date against Becker College on Saturday, April 21 at 2 p.m. Purchase (5-7 overall) returns to action at home against St. Joseph's College (LI) on Monday, April 23 at 7 p.m.