ST. LOUIS – The Missouri Baptist University men's lacrosse team dropped its season opener to Montreat College, 13-10, on Friday night at Spartan Field.

The Spartans (0-1) battled back from an early deficit and briefly took a fourth-quarter lead, but Montreat (2-1) secured the three-goal victory.

MBU struck first when Joe Busselman found the back of the net at the 10:24 mark of the opening quarter off an assist from John Dahl. Montreat responded with four unanswered goals to close the first period and extended its lead to 7-2 midway through the second.

The Spartans answered with a strong run before halftime. Goals from Dahl, Jake Cordes, Ryan Metcalf, and Andrew Dafoe trimmed the deficit to 7-6 heading into the break.

After Montreat pushed its advantage to 9-7 in the third, Drew Chiodini scored twice in the frame to keep MBU within striking distance. The Spartans' persistence paid off in the fourth quarter, as Metcalf tied the game at 9-9 with 11:46 remaining before Cordes gave Missouri Baptist its first lead since the opening quarter at 10-9 just over a minute later.

Montreat responded with four consecutive goals, including two man-up scores in the final six minutes, to reclaim control. The Spartans were unable to recover down the stretch.

Cordes led Missouri Baptist with four points on two goals and two assists. Dahl added three points on two goals and one assist, while Metcalf and Chiodini each finished with two goals. Busselman recorded a goal and an assist, and Dafoe added a goal.

Anthony Fillerup was dominant at the faceoff X, winning 21 of 26 draws, and Dafoe collected a team-high 10 ground balls. Goalkeeper Daniel Heinrich made 15 saves in the loss.

Montreat was paced by Justin Holland, who scored five goals, including two man-up tallies in the fourth quarter. Garrett Thomson added two goals and two assists in the win.

Missouri Baptist outshot Montreat 27-26 in faceoffs won and held a 35-31 edge in ground balls but committed 33 turnovers in the contest. Montreat finished 2-for-10 on extra-man opportunities, while the Spartans went 0-for-5.

Missouri Baptist will look to bounce back tomorrow when they take on Columbia College at 7 p.m.