ADRIAN, Mich. - In sight of its first conference victory since 2013, the Calvin men's lacrosse team dropped an agonizing 13-12 overtime decision at Adrian College Saturday afternoon.

Calvin (5-9 overall, 0-5 MIAA) held a 12-11 lead inside the final two minutes of regulation but Adrian (1-12 overall, 1-4 MIAA) was able to score the equalizer on a shot with just 1:32 remaining.  

Adrian pressed for the winning goal in the closing seconds but Calvin freshman goaltender Tristian Parece (Kelowna, BC/Kelowna Secondary School) came up with a clutch save to send the game into sudden-death overtime.

Calvin was whistled for a 30-second penalty with 2:40 left in overtime and as the penalty was about to expire, the Bulldogs whipped in the game-winning goal.

Calvin claimed a 6-2 lead after one quarter of play as sophomore Michael Winkler (La Quinta, Ca./Palm Desert HS) and junior Chris Griffin (Hartland/Hartland HS) scored two goals each in the quarter.

Sophomore Ethan Brown (Falmouth, ME/Falmouth HS) put the Knights up 7-2 just 10 seconds into the second quarter but Adrian responded with five unanswered goals to make the score 7-6.

A late second quarter tally by Griffin allowed Calvin to take an 8-6 halftime lead.

The Knights went up 11-6 in the third quarter on goals by freshman Noah Nedd (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS), Griffin and freshman Austin Bontreger (Fishers, Ind./Heritage Christian HS).

Calvin's attack then stalled while Adrian continued to come back, scoring three goals to trail 11-9 heading into the fourth quarter.

Adrian came up with a pair of goals in the first 5:02 of the fourth quarter to tie the game 11-11.

Neither team scored again until sophomore Nate Ray (Northville/Northville HS) broke loose for his 38th goal of the season, scoring on an assist from Bontreger with 6:10 remaining.

Calvin attempted three shots over the next three minutes in an attempt to widen its lead but could not find the back of the net the rest of the way.

"Learning to win is a process," said Calvin men's lacrosse coach Luke Griemsman. "We have a lot of young athletes playing very important roles. As this program continues to grow I know these young men will become more experienced. As we gain experience, we will be better. The future with this program is bright."

Parece had a strong day in goal, collecting 17 saves on 30 shot attempts. Griffin had four goals and two assists while Winkler had two goals. Junior Joel Schaefer (Clarksville, Md./Annapolis Area Christian HS) had a goal and an assist while freshman Jonathan Miller (Boise, Id./Ambrose School) had a goal and two assists. Bontreger had a goal and an assist. Nedd, Brown and Ray had single goals.

Nedd also scooped up a career-high 11 ground balls. Brown also caused four Adrian turnovers.

Calvin will travel to Alma on Tuesday for a 7 p.m. conference game.