BALTIMORE, Md. – The Frostburg State Men's Lacrosse team earned a narrow 7-6 victory over Wilmington (Del.) at Homewood Field on Wednesday evening.
 
FSU began the game immediately on the front foot, taking the opening face-off on a violation and setting up the junior connection from Henry Sykes to Luke Roach less than a minute in. Freshman Ayden Viscount then took another win in the X, as Sykes was initially denied by keeper Daniel Flynn before immediately picking the ball back up and firing home for a 2-0 lead with 80 seconds off the clock. The Bobcat defense helped ensure that WilmU still wasn't able to get a shot away, as senior Will Stephanos and junior Ryder Walter each caused turnovers, while sophomore Jack Laye put a shot wide and had another come back off the post.
 
Following a Frostburg turnover, the Wildcats were finally able to generate some offense, forcing junior Jack Smith into his first save of the day before finding the back of the net for a 2-1 score. Through the next five minutes, each team had more turnovers than shots, as Viscount and junior Jackson Kanzler each had CT's defensively. With just over three minutes left in the frame, FSU was whistled for a penalty, giving Wilmington a man-up chance, however Monroe caused a turnover while Stephanos picked up the loose ball to ride out the disadvantage. As the Bobcats got back to even, senior Sean Mullineaux found junior Hayden Celio to put the score at 3-1 to end the period.
 
Through the first three minutes of the second quarter, both teams struggled offensively, with the only effort coming on a WilmU man-up effort that was blocked before reaching Smith. Junior Kieran Hofgesang grabbed the loose ball and swiftly found junior Logan Yost in transition, as he passed to Celio to net a stunning man-down goal for a three-goal lead. After winning the resulting FO, the Wildcats peppered Frostburg's net with a trio of shots, however two went wide and the final was saved by Smith.
 
Stephanos and Walter then each caused a turnover, as junior Jack Hooks fired an effort off the crossbar before Roached passed to Celio for a 5-1 advantage. For the next three minutes, Wilmington's defense clamped down, with FSU's one shot from Mullineaux saved by Flynn. After putting an effort wide and having another blocked, WilmU was able to net their second of the day before Flynn kept them with some momentum on another pair of stops. With just over three minutes left in the half, the Wildcats pulled to within 5-3, as Smith denied them from getting closer while turnovers prevented either side from scoring again.
 
A combination of penalties and turnovers prevented the Bobcats from getting out of the gate to start the third, however Wilmington couldn't seem to get a shot on target, putting four wide and seeing another blocked. In similar fashion, Frostburg's first two efforts were high and stopped before reaching the goal, as all the way until the five-minute mark, Smith denied the lone two shots that he saw while Celio put another wide. After graduate Tyrin Long put a shot into the net of Flynn, WilmU was able to gain some control, scoring twice in a two-minute span to tie things at 5-5, with Smith making a save while being a man-down to end the frame.
 
Hofgesang picked up a CT to begin the fourth, while senior Graham Allison was denied by Flynn after the first minute and a half. Turnovers took control again through the next five minutes, as Wilmington continued their scoring run by taking their first lead of the night at 6-5. As the ball went in, Frostburg was whistled for an unnecessary roughness penalty, however the Wildcats put a shot high of goal and then turned the ball over, as Monroe went on a one-man clear, eventually finding freshman Keegan Green to tie the game down a man.
 
Helping to kill the penalty off, Monroe then caused a turnover and grabbed the loose ball, allowing the Bobcats to wait out the disadvantage. With just under six minutes to go, Roach called his own number, netting the go-ahead score to complete the fourth quarter turnaround. Both sides had shots go high, then each netminder stood tall in goal to keep things at a one-goal game. Despite FSU going down a man once more, Walter was able to grab a groundball out of a shot, with Sykes then being denied by Flynn. Seeking to get up the field quickly, WilmU was unable to get the clear, as Frostburg had the chance to tick the clock all the way down. Facing steep pressure, the Bobcats were just able to hang onto possession long enough to hear the final horn and secure the 7-6 victory.
 
Celio netted a hat trick on the day, as Roach matched him on points with a pair of goals and an assist. Walter and Hofgesang each caused three turnovers apiece, with the former picking up a game-high five groundballs. Smith made seven saves in net on 13 shots while also securing a couple GB's.
 
With the win, Frostburg improves to 6-3 on the year, while Wilmington drops to 5-4. FSU will return to ECC play as they travel to No. 15 Molloy on Saturday, March 21 at 12 p.m. Information and updates will be posted to frostburgsports.com.