COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A short-handed Allegheny College men's lacrosse team suffered a 13-1 loss on the road Sunday afternoon in a non-conference matchup at Capital University.

The Gators (2-3) challenged the Comets (1-4) despite missing starting midfielder Griffin Cates (Arlington Heights, Ill./John Hersey) and short-stick defensive midfielder Andrei Conwell (Baltimore, Md./Dulaney) from their everyday lineup.

Although the offense was held to one third-quarter goal, scored by senior attacker JP Rakis (Kensington, Md./Walter Johnson), the Gators received an admirable performance defensively from goalie Garin Stearns (Hudson, Ohio/Revere). Faced with a heavy barrage of shots from the Comet offense, Stearns tied a program single-game record with 23 saves. It's the second time this spring and the third time in his career that the fourth-year netminder logged more than 20 saves in a game.

Inside the Box Score

• Both starting goalies performed well on Sunday, combining for a .702 save percentage.
• Stearns denied 23 of 36 shots on goal and grabbed four ground balls.
• Capital starter Wyatt Stemler made 10 saves against 11 shots in nearly 49 minutes of action.
• As a result, neither team scored on any of their four extra-man opportunities.
• Rakis scored Allegheny's lone goal with an assist from Jack Pearl (Ladera Ranch, Calif./JSerra Catholic).
• All of Allegheny's starting defensemen – Liam Kruck (Murrysville, Pa./Franklin), Ethan Kosco (Olmsted Falls, Ohio/St. Edward), and Jared Swisher (Cumberland, Maine/Berwick Academy) – logged at least one caused turnover and grabbed two ground balls.
• Capital was led offensively by Jess Lipp with eight points (4g-4a) and Charlie Howenstine with three (1g-2a).

News and Notes

• Sunday's midday matchup was the first all-time meeting between the Gators and Comets.
• Rakis recorded his ninth goal and team-leading 29th point of the season.
• Stearns tied a team record with 23 saves, which was first achieved by Eric Mirkovich '23 on April 20, 2022, against Oberlin College.
• Kruck has caused multiple turnovers in four of five games this spring, while Swisher has at least one caused turnover in all five outings.
• Second-year midfielder JaMier Hopkins (Cleveland, Ohio/St. Edward) made his first collegiate start for the Gators in place of Cates and Conwell.

Up Next
Allegheny will travel to Elmira, New York, to face Elmira College on Saturday, March 14, at 2 p.m.