SALEM, VA – The York College men's lacrosse team dropped a 20-7 result Saturday afternoon to Roanoke College in Salem, Va. The Spartans open the year at 0-1 while the Maroons begin with a 1-0 mark.
    The Green and White got on the board first as senior midfielder Brian O'Neill (Lititz, Pa./Manheim Township) recorded the first Spartan tally of 2009. He combined with fellow midfielder Ryan Schab (West Islip, N.Y./West Islip) to put York up 1-0 just over 2:30 into the game.
    Roanoke tied the game and then quickly took the lead with a pair of goals within 60 seconds. Pat March scored at the 9:13 mark before Matt Quinton gave the Maroons the one-goal advantage 57 seconds later.
    Spartan newcomer B.J. Blaker (West Chester, Pa./Henderson) tallied his first in the green and white with just under five minutes to play. With Blaker's goal, the first period came to a close with the score deadlocked at two.
    The second stanza belonged almost entirely to the hosts as the Maroons blew the score wide open with eight tallies. Adam Cooper (Bel Air, Md./Bel Air) was the only Spartan to notch a goal during the frame as the Maroons gained a 10-3 margin heading into halftime.
    Following Roanoke's second period spurt, the Maroons controlled the remainder of the game, outscoring the Spartans 10-4 over the latter 30 minutes, to capture the 20-7 victory.
    For the game, Roanoke bested the Spartans with 52 shots to York's 31. The Maroons also collected 58 ground balls while the Green and White picked up 38. Additionally, the hosts were dominant on face-offs winning 24-of-30 attempts.
    Quinton led all scorers with seven points on five goals and two assists while Zach Thomas tallied four times and dished out a pair of helpers. Sam Love collected a game-high ten ground balls while Greg Khanzadian won 13-of-16 face-offs. Maroon goalkeeper Jake Dorsey picks up the win in the cage as he recorded 14 saves. Nick Peck finished off the final 7:27 and was not forced to make a stop.
    Blaker proved to be York's high-scorer on the day, as he recorded three points on two goals and one assist. O'Neill registered two notches for the Green and White, while Cooper, Ryan McNicholas (Fallston, Md./Fallston), and John Gaeta (Bel Air, Md./Archbishop Curley) each recorded one goal. Senior defenseman Steve Mersinger (Westminster, Md./Westminster) collected a team-high six ground balls. Sophomore goalkeeper Chris Collins (Westminster, Md./Westminster) took the loss for the Spartans as he recorded 15 saves over his 60 minutes of work.
    The Spartans will look to get into the win column on Monday, March 2, as they face Rochester Institute of Technology. York and RIT will meet in balmly Orlando, Fla. for the 1:00 pm non-conference tilt.
   
GAME BOX

Photo of Spartan senior midfielder Brian O'Neill