Salisbury, Md.- Facing its third top-five team of the season, the Denison men's lacrosse team fell to No. 3 Salisbury University 15-7 after a slow second and third quarter created too much of a deficit for the Big Red to come back from. Denison moved to 3-3 for the season, while Salisbury stretched their win streak to nine.

The energy was high in the team's sixth contest in program history. Denison opened the top-five matchup with an early goal by Tommy Quinson, followed by a second goal in the 11th minute by Michael Cassidy to put the Big Red up 2-0 early. Salisbury eventually answered with its first of five goals in the quarter. Macky Peck would tack on a third goal for Denison for a 3-1 lead over the Sea Gulls. Unfortunately for Denison, their two-goal lead quickly evaporated, and momentum swung in favor of the Salisbury after the Sea Gulls scored four goals in a row to end the first quarter and gain a 5-3 lead.

The Sea Gulls would continue to find the back of the Big Red's net, scoring four more goals in the second quarter. Following halftime, Denison struggled to slow Salisbury down in front of their home crowd, giving up another five goals while putting in just two more for a 14-5 deficit heading into the fourth quarter. Though the Big Red held the Sea Gulls to just one more goal, their offense was stifled by Salisbury's defense, resulting in a final score of 15-7 in favor of the Sea Gulls.

The Sea Gulls outshot the Big Red 47-22 and held a 49 to 34 edge in ground balls, while Denison held a slight 13-12 advantage in faceoffs. Salisbury's defense was crucial to their success over Denison, causing 20 turnovers to the Big Red's seven. 

Peck led the Big Red in scoring with two goals, with five other members scoring one goal. Grant Larson tallied six ground balls and won eight of his 13 faceoffs. In goal for Denison was Andrew Albert, who finished the afternoon with 13 saves, while Salisbury's Nicholas Ransom tallied nine saves for the day. 

Up Next
Denison travels to Sparks, Md., and faces No. 9 Amherst College at noon on Thursday, March 20, at the USA Lacrosse Headquarters.