After defeating Lafayette in their last two meetings, the Binghamton men’s lacrosse team was edged out by the Leopards (4-1) Saturday, falling 13-12 on the road.

The teams were evenly matched throughout the contest, with both squads producing 24 shots on goal. Ultimately, the Leopards were able to land just one more total goal over Binghamton (0-2). Sophomore goalie Robert Martin had 11 saves throughout the match, while Lafayette’s freshman goalie Ryan Ness made 12 saves for the Leopards.

Lafayette started out strong, as sophomore midfielder Gabe Smithline captured the first two faceoffs and classmate midfielder Bryan Hess scored back-to-back goals less than two minutes into play. Despite this early lead, Binghamton senior midfielder Jack Sullivan won the next faceoff and senior attack Griffin Konen found the back of the net, recording his first goal of the season. After Lafayette’s freshman midfielder Ryan Kirkwood registered another goal for Lafayette, the Bearcats tallied seven unanswered goals and put the team up by five, leading 8-3 in the second quarter.

The Bearcats led the game for the second and third quarters, ending the third quarter up 9-8. Two minutes into the fourth quarter, however, Lafayette freshman midfielder Cole Dutton tied the score for the Leopards. Konen got the Bearcats back on track with his second goal of the game, but the Leopards went on a three-goal streak from which Binghamton couldn’t come back. Over the course of three minutes, Lafayette sophomore midfielder Andrew Robbins scored twice, while senior attack Conor Walters scored once. Robbins had four goals throughout the course of the game, while Walters had two. A goal by junior midfielder Jon Perotto put the Bearcats within one goal of the Leopards, but Lafayette senior midfielder Connar Dehnert extended its edge by two. Sophomore defender Kyle Tiernan answered with his first goal of the season, but with just one minute left in the game, the Bearcats were unable to produce another goal.

Perotto and senior midfielder Joe Licata led the charge for the Bearcats. Perotto had a goal and three assists for four points, while Licata recorded a hat trick, his second in a row. This put him at six goals on the season. Sophomore attack William Talbott-Shere and Konen also had impressive games, with both tallying three points. Additionally, freshman defender Drew Furlong was a force on the field, picking up seven ground balls and taking nine faceoffs throughout the match.

Last season, the men’s lacrosse team didn’t come away with its first victory until its seventh game. The Bearcats are hoping not to repeat this trend as they gear up for their next game against Hobart College.

Faceoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 2 at the Bearcats Sports Complex in Vestal, New York.