NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. – The Westminster men's lacrosse team fell, 14-9, at home to Saint Vincent in a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) showdown Wednesday night.
 
Westminster (6-2, 1-1 PAC) got off to a hot start in the first half with two quick goals in the first minute, courtesy of senior Nick Trella (Moon Twp, PA / Moon Area) and sophomore Ryan Greer (Cranberry Twp, PA / Seneca Valley). Saint Vincent (6-2, 1-1 PAC) answered with two goals of their own, but the Titans regained the lead off a goal by sophomore Hamish Mathwin (Marion, Austrailia / Westminster) after receiving a pass from classmate Boyd Foster (Lincoln, RI / Lincoln). Trella scored his second goal of the game, and the Titans led 4-2 at the end of the first quarter. The Bearcats opened the second quarter by scoring three straight, but Mathwin tacked on another goal for the Titans to tie it up at 5-5. Saint Vincent went on to score three consecutive goals to head into halftime up 8-5.
 
In the second half, the Bearcats extended their lead to 11-5 before Westminster answered with a goal from Foster to cut the lead to 11-6. Both teams went on to score three more goals apiece, with first-year Payton Waight (Ithaca, NY / Ithaca) scoring in the closing minute to bring the final tally to 14-9.
 
Trella led the Titans with two goals and one assist, while Greer and Mathwin also posted two goals apiece. First-year Colin O'Malley (Pittsburgh, PA / North Allegheny) tied a career-high 12 ground balls and contributed one assist. Defensively, junior Mike Roman (Fort Washington, PA / Germantown Academy) led with a team-high three caused turnovers and collected nine ground balls. Sophomore goalkeeper Connor Doyle (Glen Aubrey, NY / Glen Aubrey) recorded a game-high 16 saves (tying a career-high) and snagged seven ground balls.
 
Westminster will head to Greenville, Pa. on Saturday, April 17 for a PAC matchup against Thiel College.