UPLAND, IND. – The Missouri Baptist University men's lacrosse team rallied from an early deficit but fell 18-11 on the road to Taylor University Saturday afternoon.

Senior attacker John Dahl led the Spartans with three goals, while Jake Cordes added three goals of his own.

Taylor jumped out to a fast start with seven goals in the first quarter to take control early. The Spartans answered in the second period, scoring six times to cut the deficit to 9-8 at halftime. Cordes sparked the run with a pair of goals, and Drew Chiodini capped the surge with a goal in the final seconds of the half.

The Spartans continued to battle in the third quarter, tying the game at 10-10 after goals from Dahl and Ward. However, Taylor responded with four unanswered goals to regain momentum and led 14-11 heading into the final period.

Missouri Baptist was held scoreless in the fourth quarter as Taylor added four more goals to seal the victory. The Trojans outshot the Spartans 61-35 and won 19 of 31 faceoffs, while also holding a 40-24 edge in ground balls. Caleb Ward contributed two goals and an assist, and goalkeeper Daniel Heinrich made 23 saves.

Missouri Baptist (1-3) will look to bounce back at home next Wednesday, March 4, against Tennessee Wesleyan University. Face off is set for 3 p.m.