The Fairfield University men's lacrosse team dropped its second non-conference game of the week, both on the road, falling 12-3 to Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass.  The Stags fall to 3-2 on the year while the Crimson improves to 4-1.  The game was a match-up of the top two ranked teams in the New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association, with the Stags entering the game ranked first.

The first 17 minutes of the game were played evenly, between two teams that value controlling the pace of the game.  Harvard struck first at the 9:22 mark of the first half as Max Motschwiller tallied an unassisted goal.  The Stags answered quickly, as Travis Nelson fed Brian Stanton for his first goal of the year with 8:22 to play in the quarter.  The Crimson would finish net the only other goal of the first quarter of play, as Travis Burr scored unassisted with 1:44 left.

Matt Plominski knotted the score at 2-2 for the Stags, putting home a pass from Dan Boudreau two minutes into the second quarter.  That would be the last Stags tally until there was just 99 seconds left in the game.  The Crimson would rattle of a 10-0 run during the Stags offensive drought, with four straight to end the second quarter, including a pair of tallies in the final 30 seconds of the half.  Harvard would shut out the Stags 3-0 in the third quarter, and score three more insurance goals in the fourth, before Shannon Sturz scored for the Stags with 1:39 to play in the game.

No Stag player would finish with more than a point in the game, as Stanton, Plominski and Sturz finished with a goal apiece and Nelson and Boudreau added assists.  Jason Duboe scored four goals for the Crimson, to lead the team, while Travis Burr added three tallies.

The Stags were out shot 40-16 in the game, giving up 20 shots in each half, and 12 in the second quarter of play.  The Crimson won 13 of 18 face-offs in the game, including all six in the second quarter.  The Crimson also held a 23-20 advantage in ground balls, and had fewer turnovers, 18-13, than Fairfield.

Joe Marra made 15 saves for the Stags, in taking the loss, playing 57:25 and allowing 11 goals.  Jeff Cilente minded the net for the final 2:35 of the game, allowing one goal.  Joe Pike earned the win in the crease for the Crimson, with six saves in 57:43 of action, allowing two goals.  Evan O'Donnell played the final 2:17 with one goal allowed and a save.

Harvard boasts one of the top scoring defenses in the nation, entering the game allowing just 4.75 goals per game to its first four opponents.  The Crimson have not allowed a team to score more than six points in a game this season.

Fairfield returns to action on Friday, March 21, when it hosts ECAC Lacrosse League foe Penn State, at 7 p.m. The Stags are 1-0 in ECAC action this season.