TOWSON, Md.—The Hobart College lacrosse team outscored nationally ranked Towson University 6-4 in the second half, but the Tigers, who boast the nation's No. 8 scoring defense, held on for a 9-6 win after pitching a first half shutout. The loss drops the Statesmen to 3-3 while Towson improves to 5-2.
 
Senior Taylor Vanderbeek scored twice to lead the Statesmen offense while classmate Alex Love added a pair of assists. Hobart dominated the faceoff X, winning 12-of-19. First-year J. Andrew Spallanzani went 12-of-15 at the X. The Statesmen also won the battle for ground balls, collecting 29 to the Tigers' 22. First-year defenseman D. Bennett Moore scooped up a game-high five GBs for Hobart. Sophomore Jackson Brown made six saves on 15 shots in 58 minutes of work. First-year Chre Teitelbaum stopped the only shot he faced in the final two minutes.
 
Sophomore Ryan Drenner and senior Andrew Hodgson shared game-high honors with three points each for Towson. Junior goalie Tyler White got the win with 10 saves.
 
The Tigers, ranked 17th in the coaches poll and 19th in the media poll, won the game's first four faceoffs as they rattled off three straight goals, including sophomore faceoff specialist Alex Burckley's first strike of the season off a clean win of the draw. Spallanzani came on to take the final 15 restarts for Hobart, losing just three times over the final 48:40.
 
Towson scored with 62 seconds left in the first quarter for a 4-0 lead after one and added the only tally of the second quarter for a 5-0 halftime lead.
 
Hobart broke up the shutout with back-to-back goals less than four minutes into the second half. Junior Matt Opsahl scored unassisted at the 12:43 mark and Love set up senior Zach Reed just over a minute and a half later.
 
Drenner scored the first of his two goals on the day midway through the third quarter to make it a 6-2 game entering the final frame.
 
Again, Hobart scored consecutive goals to start the quarter to close the gap to just two. Love assisted on Vanderbeek's extra-man goal with 11:22 left to make it 6-3 and two minutes later junior Frank Brown scored his first goal of the year to cut the Hobart deficit to 6-4.
 
Towson scored twice in a 40 second span to push its lead back to four, but Hobart scored two quick goals to again make it a two-goal game with 4:09 to go. Vanderbeek netted the first unassisted and 46 seconds later, sophomore Max Romm deposited his third goal of the year. Spallanzani won the ensuing faceoff and senior Brendan Saylor got off a shot from the left wing, but White made the stop and Drenner scored at the other end of the field to give the Tigers some breathing room at 2:07.
 
Flagged twice in the final two minutes, Hobart was unable to get offensive possession.
 
The Statesmen will be back in action on Saturday, March 21, when they host Bryant University in the Northeast Conference opener for both teams. The opening faceoff at Boswell Field is set for 1 p.m.