Oberlin, Ohio – In a back-and-forth game on Bailey Field, the Oberlin College men's lacrosse team suffered their first loss of the season against Elmhurst on Saturday afternoon. The 14-13 defeat moves the Yeomen back to 3-1 on the season.
 
Jacob Starcke continued his dominant scoring streak with five goals on nine shots. Cooper Zancosky added five points of his own coming of four goals and an assists. Brennan Solomon, Jack Duffy, and Nicholas Cuda rounded out the goal-scorers for the Crimson and Gold, while Asher Friedman, Christian Tacogue, and Evan Sardina added an assist each.
 
Split between Sardina and Thinley Edwards, the face-off duo went 13-31 from the circle. On defense Jake Pillsbury earned the start in cage and collected 12 saves and a ground ball. Colin Taylor had a field day in the back half of Bailey, scooping seven ground balls and causing four turnovers. Joe Chai and Cooper Rand also caused havoc, combining for five ground balls and four caused turnovers.
 
The Yeomen jumped first, scoring on a settled offense when Tacogue connected with Cuda to but Oberlin on the board. The Bluejays responded with three unanswered goals to end to first quarter, taking a two-goal lead into the second.
 
Responding in droves, Oberlin notched back-to-back goals off the face-off, tying the game at 3-3. Taking a beat of rest, Cuda met with Zancosky to give the Crimson and Gold the lead. After a flurry of goals over the next few minutes, Oberlin closed the quarter on a 3-1 run to hold an 8-6 lead into halftime.
 
It was all Elmhurst in the third, outscoring Oberlin 5-1. Beginning with four-straight goals to take the lead, Oberlin cut the deficit to one after Pillsbury made a crucial save at 2:41. The defense cleared the ball upfield, giving way to Zancosky for the score from Friedman.
 
The Bluejays scored again before the third period ended, but the Yeomen stuck first in the fourth. Scoring the equalizer, then adding one more, Oberlin had all the momentum heading into the final eight minutes. Elmhurst capitalized on Oberlin's ensuing turnovers, scoring three-straight to reclaim a 14-12 lead. Brennan cut the lead to one with 33 seconds remaining, but it was too little too late for Oberlin, as they gave up their first loss of the year.
 
The Crimson and Gold will continue their home stand with a mid-week matchup against Saint Vincent on Wednesday, March 12, at 4 p.m.
 
Fans can keep up with their favorite teams on Instagram, Facebook, X, or TikTok, and watch all the home matches live online. The Crimson and Gold's home broadcasts can be accessed on TV through the official Oberlin College Sports Network app on Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV.