HICKORY, N.C. -- Anderson's men's lacrosse team dropped its South Atlantic Conference opener on Saturday, falling to the reigning National Champions, No. 1 Lenoir-Rhyne by a score of 12-8. 

"I'm proud of our team's fight," said head coach Albert Mitchell, "but we need to execute better, especially at the start of the game." 

Kaleb West (Peoria, Ariz.) kicked off the scoring for Anderson, picking up his second goal of the season. The first 15 also saw a Trojan goal from PJ Fenchak (Lutherville Timonium, Md.) who recorded a hat trick on the afternoon. The Bears proved to be more productive in the first half, however, as they capitalized on two man-up opportunities and led the Trojans 8-3 after the first two quarters. 

The Black and Gold bounced back, outscoring Lenoir-Rhyne 5-4 in the second half, with goals from Fenchak, Nick Calabrese (Auburn, Ga.) and Ryan Gundersen (Waxhaw, N.C.). 

The Trojans recorded 29 groundballs and 15 successful clears. Joey Heckel (Easton, Pa.) tallied 12 saves, while Aiden Dixon (Forest Hill, Md.) won 9 faceoffs. 

Anderson returns home next weekend for a four-game stretch at Spero Financial Field, including two non-conference games (vs. Florida Southern on March 9, vs. Lander on March 16) and two SAC matchups (vs. Lincoln Memorial on March 13, vs. Tusculum March 19).