ST. LOUIS – Embarking on its toughest stretch yet with four home games in a row against KCAC opponents ranked or receiving votes, the Missouri Baptist men's lacrosse team fell short in its matchups with (RV) Ottawa University and (8) Benedictine College this past week. The Spartans lost 8-4 in a low-scoring affair with Ottawa (Kan.) on Thursday and struggled to slow down the eighth-ranked Ravens in the second half of Saturday's 20-3 defeat.
 
Missouri Baptist welcomes (RV) William Penn and (RV) Columbia to town on Wednesday and Friday. The Statesmen are currently riding a five-game winning streak into the mid-week matchup.
 
#RV Ottawa (Kan.) 8, Missouri Baptist 4
It took nearly 10 minutes for a team to find the back of the net. Missouri Baptist struck first on a diving wrap-around goal from Alex Scott (Noah Campbell assist) with 6:33 remaining in the first. Playing stout 'D', the Spartans held the Braves without a first-quarter goal and upped their lead to 2-0 on a Noah Campbell goal (11:27) in the second period.
 
Ottawa eventually ended its 23-minute scoring drought with a Vincent DeMarco goal from Vincent DeMarco. The Braves seized the momentum heading into halftime delivering a dagger with just one minute left in the period. Seconds after a Daniel Heinrich save, Ottawa's Jake Noernberg scored from 10 yards out to even the game at 2-2.
 
Heinrich was busy in the cage in the first half amassing 10 saves on OU's 12 shots on goal and 26 shots total.
 
The third quarter was the turning point. Ottawa controlled the period scoring four goals on the offensive end and shut out the Spartans entirely.
 
With an EMO goal early in the fourth, MBU's Connor Hickman put an end to Ottawa's 6-0 scoring run that began in the second period. Noah Campbell recorded his second goal of the contest with 1:20 remaining, but it was too little too late for the Spartans.
 
Other notable stats in the contest included Connor Hickman going 8-of-14 on faceoffs, and 16 saves on the evening for Daniel Heinrich.
 
#8 Benedictine (Kan.) 20, Missouri Baptist 3
Much like Thursday's game, there was very little offensive production in the first 10 minutes of the game. Eighth-ranked Benedictine got on the scoreboard first with a goal at the 5:19 mark. The Ravens scored one more (2:07) before MBU answered. Senior Jaxon Haas put the Spartans on the board with a man-down goal and his 100^th career point in Navy & White.
 
While MoBap hung with the eighth-ranked Ravens in the opening period, Benedictine began to pull away in the second and opened the floodgates in the third. Ahead just 3-1 after the first 15 minutes, Benedictine proceeded to outscore MBU 12-0 in the second and third and increased its lead to 17 with three goals in two minutes to begin the final period.
 
Connor Hickman and Noah Campbell each scored in the fourth quarter. MBU goalie Daniel Heinrich registered a career-high 20 saves in the loss.