NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A six-goal burst by host Sewanee broke open a close game as the Wittenberg men's lacrosse team opened the 2013 season with a 15-10 loss.

The Tigers fell behind 6-2 over the first 20 minutes before rallying to within 8-6 by halftime. The momentum was short-lived, however, as Sewanee scored the only three goals of the third period to kickstart a decisive six-goal run that put the game out of reach.

Sophomore Jesse Langer (New York, N.Y./Salisbury School) made his first start in goal for the Tigers, and he was credited with 16 saves while facing 31 shots on goal. Overall, Sewanee held a commanding 52-31 advantage in total shots, in addition to edges of 23-18 in ground balls and 16-12 in face-offs.

One key difference in the game was penalties, as Wittenberg was whistled for nine infractions in the game and Sewanee converted four of those power plays into goals. The Tigers were just 1-of-2 on their power-play opportunities.

The freshman tandem of Andrew and Thomas Fuss (New Albany, Ohio/Gahanna Lincoln) made quite a debut for Wittenberg. Andrew finished with one goal and two assists, while Thomas poured in six goals on 10 shots, and he ranked second on the team in ground balls with three as well.

The Tigers' leader in ground balls was sophomore Ryan Spitzer (Lincolnshire, Ill./Stevenson), while senior Alex Previte (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman) added three as well. Also of note, sophomore Nick Bergenty (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan) was credited with two caused turnovers.