Syracuse, N.Y. (February 16) -- In the 2014 season opener, the Assumption College men's lacrosse team dropped a 12-6 final to No. 1 ranked Le Moyne College on Sunday evening at the Carrier Dome, on the campus of Division I Syracuse University. The Hounds trailed by just a 5-4 margin after two quarters before the Dolphins used a strong third quarter to gain control of the season opener.

Assumption jumped on top just 3:48 into the first quarter as junior Garrett Smith (East Syracuse, N.Y./East Syracuse Minoa) scored a man-up goal off an assist from senior captain Ian Mack (Avon, Conn./Avon) for the 1-0 lead. Le Moyne equaled the score with 6:19 left in the opening period with a goal from Chris Button for the 1-1 score. The Dolphins came out strong in the second period with three straight goals, including two unassisted tallies by Alex O'Brien, to seize the 4-1 edge with 9:21 left in the stanza. Button added his second goal of the game between the two O'Brien goals.

The Hounds outscored the top-ranked Dolphins by a 3-1 margin over the final 9:21 though, powered by two unassisted goals from Mack and the second goal from Smith with 1:06 left off for the 5-4 halftime margin.

In the third quarter, Le Moyne outscored the Hounds by a 5-0 margin to take control by a 10-4 lead after three. The Dolphins netted three man-up goals in the period, including one man-up score and one even-strength tally by O'Brien to take the six-goal lead.

In the fourth, Mack completed the hat trick with his third unassisted tally just 1:06 into the quarter, but that was followed by O'Brien's fifth goal to make it 11-5 with 9:14 left in the game. Andrew Jackson added a goal at the 6:55 mark before Assumption sophomore Connor Munisteri (Setauket, N.Y./Ward Melville) scored an unassisted goal with 2:02 left for the 12-6 final to the top-ranked Dolphins in the season opener.

Mack led the Hounds with three goals and one assist, while Smith finished with a pair of goals. O'Brien posted five goals and one assist for the Dolphins to go along with three goals from Button.

Junior Will Contento (Marshfield, Mass./Marshfield) made eight saves in the loss, while Ben Romagnoli had 10 saves for the win.

The Hounds held a 29-24 edge in ground balls and faceoffs were even at 11 each. Both teams were effective in clear attempts as Assumption cleared 12-of -14 compared to 15-of-20 for Le Moyne. The Hounds were 1-for-2 in man-up chances, while the Dolphins capitalized at 3-for-3 in that category.

With the loss, the Hounds fall to 0-1 overall and in the Northeast-10, while the Dolphins sit at 1-0 overall and in league play. Assumption is back in action on Wednesday, February 19th as the Hounds host Roberts Wesleyan for a 4 p.m. start at the Multi-Sport Stadium.

For the latest on Assumption College Athletics, follow the Hounds via social media on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. For more information, contact the Office of Athletic Communications at 508-767-7240.