SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — In almost every statistical category, the Wittenberg men's lacrosse team won the battle against Kenyon. However, the Tigers lost the only category that mattered as the Lords picked up a 7-5 win in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) opener for both teams.

The loss was Wittenberg's second in a row and dropped the Tigers to 5-3 on the season, including an 0-1 mark in the NCAC. Kenyon improved to 6-2 overall and 1-0 in the conference.

Wittenberg outshot Kenyon 15-8 in the first half, but the Lords held a 9-2 advantage in goalkeeper saves. That led to a 4-1 Kenyon lead at halftime, an advantage that was extended in a dominant third quarter in which the Lords outshot the Tigers 9-1 and took a 6-2 lead into the fourth frame.

Wittenberg's offense finally got on track in the final 15 minutes, but it was too little, too late. The Tigers scored three times in the fourth period, but Kenyon did not allow a goal over the final 5:29 to secure the victory.

Senior goalkeeper Spencer Baker (Worthington, Ohio/Thomas Worthington)finished with 10 saves in the game, while senior Elliot Avis (Grand Rapids, Mich./East Grand Rapids) contributed an outstanding game from his defensive midfield position with 9-of-12 on face-offs and four ground balls.

Offensively, the Tigers were paced by two goals from senior George Gion (Northfield, Ill./New Trier) and two assists from senior Jim Ferris (Grand Rapids, Mich./East Grand Rapids). Junior Alex Previte (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman) and sophomore Jack Bornhofen (Peachtree City, Ga./McIntosh) added one goal and one assist apiece for Wittenberg, which outshot Kenyon 25-21 and picked up eight more ground balls in the game.