ST. LOUIS - Missouri Baptist University men's lacrosse dropped a back-and-forth contest to William Woods University, 18-16, on Saturday evening at Spartan Field.

The Spartans (2-6, 1-1) battled throughout, erasing multiple deficits and tying the game at 13 early in the fourth quarter, but a late run by the Owls proved to be the difference.

MBU found its rhythm offensively behind a big performance from Liam Prindable, who led all scorers with five goals and added an assist. Joe Busselman and John Dahl each contributed five points, with Busselman totaling two goals and three assists while Dahl added three goals and two assists.

After falling behind 6-2 in the second quarter, MBU responded with a 5-1 run to close the half, capped by a last-second goal from Ryan Metcalf to tie the game at 7-7 heading into the break.

The third quarter remained high scoring, with both teams trading runs. William Woods built a 13-9 lead midway through the period, but the Spartans answered again with four of the next five goals, including back-to-back scores from Prindable, to pull within 13-11 entering the fourth.

In the final frame, Missouri Baptist continued to push, tying the game at 13-13 after consecutive goals from Busselman and Prindable. However, the Owls responded by scoring three straight goals to take the momentum and regain control.

Despite late goals from Jake Cordes and Caleb Ward to cut the deficit to two, the Spartans were unable to complete the comeback.

Missouri Baptist held advantages in faceoffs (26-38) and ground balls (48-43), but 29 turnovers and an 8-save performance from the William Woods goalkeeper limited scoring opportunities down the stretch.

Daniel Heinrich recorded 16 saves in goal for the Spartans.

Missouri Baptist will look to bounce back when they take on Saint Ambrose on Saturday, March 28. Faceoff is set for 2 p.m.

Stat Leaders

Goals: Liam Pridable (5)

Assists: Joe Busselman (3)

Points: Liam Prindable (6)

Shots: Joe Busselman (11)

Ground balls: Anthony Fillerup (16)