Gambier, Ohio – The Oberlin College men's lacrosse team fell to the Kenyon College Lords, 12-5, on Tuesday afternoon at McBride Field.
The goal output was the lowest of the season for the Yeomen and with the result it was first time this year that Oberlin has lost back-to-back games, setting up a critical regular-season finale at Wooster on Saturday with postseason hopes hanging in the balance.
First-year
Niko Maheras scored four of the Yeomen's five goals in the loss to run his season total to 33 to tie
Tom Decker and
Michael Muldoon for the team lead.
The Yeomen conceded the game's first four goals to the Lords until Maheras got Oberlin on the board with 32 seconds left in the first quarter, cashing in a man-up opportunity with the help of a
Max Cha assist.
The second period futured just three total goals with Kenyon getting two early in the frame before Maheras trimmed the gap down to four off another Cha feed.
Oberlin went into the intermission trailing 6-2 but instead of shrinking the deficit in the third quarter, the lead would swell to six as the Lords outscored the Yeomen 4-2 in the 15-minute stanza. The Cha-to-Maheras connection struck again at the 10:40 mark as the man-up goal made it 7-3. After back-to-back Kenyon tallies, Cha would connect with
Ryan Blasberg for Oberlin's final tally of the quarter.
Kenyon didn't flinch in the final frame, allowing just one goal to Maheras to finish off the victory.
Oberlin out-shot Kenyon 50-44 with shots on goal being even at 24 but goalies Mayo Amorello and Jack McClellan combined to make 19 saves for the Lords. Kenyon also won the ground ball 40-22 and secured 14 of the game's 21 face-offs.
Kiernan Stone led defense with seven ground balls and two caused turnovers, while
Eugene Kang made 12 saves in the setback.
Oberlin fell to 11-4 overall and 5-3 in the NCAC. Kenyon clinched its NCAC Tournament spot, moving to 12-3 and 7-1 in the league.
The Yeomen and Scots will be fighting it out for the No. 4 seed in the conference tournament on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m.
