ANNVILLE, Pa. – The Frostburg State men's lacrosse team scored seven unanswered goals to earn a comeback victory over Lebanon Valley, 9-6 in its first game of the season.
 
The Dutchmen started the afternoon scoring four goals, the first two from the stick of senior Kevin Beaver, before junior Paul Ruppert netted the Bobcats' first goal with 38 seconds left in the first half, shifting the momentum.
 
The Bobcats came out of the intermission facing a three-goal deficit, but a 6-0 run in the third quarter vaulted FSU to a 7-4 lead entering the game's final quarter. Ruppert added two more goals to his ledger during the run, while junior Jimmy Lucas, sophomore Jason Clinton, junior Michael Sipes and first-year Jake Bowman also put the ball in the net in the quarter. Senior Jake Howarth earned assists on three of the six goals.
 
In the fourth frame both teams exchanged goals, with Clinton and Sipes each scoring their second of the game, and the Bobcats rolled to a 9-6 victory. The Bobcats outscored the Dutchmen 8-2 in the second half alone.
 
Overall, FSU outshot Lebanon Valley, 57-28 and collected 39 ground balls against the Dutchmen's 24. The Bobcats also won 14 out of the 19 total faceoff opportunities. Ruppert added three ground balls and 12 shots, nine of which were on goal to his three goals, while Howarth ended with three assists and six ground balls. Junior midfielder Sam Natvig won 10 out of 14 faceoffs for the FSU and his classmate, goalie Jack Marks stopped 10 shots.
 
The Dutchmen were led by Beavers' two goals and senior Matt Torrence's two goals. Senior goalie Cam Epple saved 21 shots in front of the Lebanon Valley net.
 
Frostburg State (1-0) will return to Bobcat Stadium for their home opener on Saturday, March 2 at 1:00 p.m. when it takes on Washington (Md.). For up-to-date game information, including live stats and video streaming, visit frostburgsports.com.