NAPERVILLE, Ill. - The Calvin University men's lacrosse team was unable to slow down the Cardinals from North Central College (NCC) in a 17-9 defeat on Saturday.

NCC (5-3) jumped in front with a pair of goals in the first four minutes of the game, but Calvin (5-6) quickly answered with goals from Thomas Smith (Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich./Grosse Pointe South) and Christian Coler (Ionia, N.Y./Honeyoye Falls-Lima) to tie the score 2-2.

The Cardinals took control from there, scoring five unanswered goals before Smith could answer with 7:09 to play in the second quarter, and then added two more before the half to give NCC a 9-3 lead at the break.

NCC continued to add to its lead in the third quarter, scoring three straight goals to push its lead to 12-3, and then answered goals from Chase Sparling (Novi, Mich./Novi) and Coler with two more tallies at the end of the quarter to lead 14-5.

The Knights scored four times in the final period, but could not overcome the deficit as the Cardinals finished off the win.

NCC out-shot the Knights 54-39 overall in the game, and also finished with a 28-21 edge in shots on goal. The Cardinals also held the edge in face offs (17-12) and ground balls (39-32) in the match.

Sparling led Calvin with three goals and added two assists for five total points. Smith and Coler each recorded a pair of goals, while Robert Miner (Littleton, Colo./Columbine) and Josh Newhouse (Grand Junction, Colo./Palisade) each scored one goal apiece. 

NEXT UP: Calvin men's lacrosse will return to action on Saturday, April 8, when it opens MIAA play with a home match against Albion at 3:00 PM.