Lisle, Illinois — The Lawrence University men's lacrosse team battled early but couldn't keep pace down the stretch, falling 8-5 at Benedictine on Saturday afternoon.

Lawrence came out sharp, striking first on a goal from Joe McCabe off a feed from Emmett Eischens to take a 1-0 lead late in the opening quarter. The Vikings stayed in front midway through the second after Brody Herr finished an unassisted goal, but Benedictine answered with a late surge to take a 3-2 lead into halftime.

The third quarter proved decisive as the Eagles used a 3-0 run to build separation. Lawrence continued to fight, getting a goal from Logan Marsh late in the third to stay within striking distance, but Benedictine added three more in the fourth to extend the lead to five.

Herr led the Vikings offensively with two goals, while McCabe (one goal, two assists) and Eischens (one goal, one assist) each recorded multi-point efforts. Marsh added a goal to round out the scoring.

In goal, Tyler Graham turned in a strong performance with 15 saves, helping keep Lawrence within reach despite Benedictine holding a 38-24 edge in shots and controlling possession at the faceoff X.