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Keydets Drop Home Finale to Mount St. Mary's

LEXINGTON, Va. ? The VMI lacrosse team dropped its home finale to the Mountaineers of Mount St. Mary's, losing 8-7 Wednesday afternoon in an overtime thriller contested at Patchin Field.
 
With the score deadlocked at seven and about two minutes left in the first overtime period, Mount St. Mary's Eric Ososki fired a shot from about eight yards out that beat VMI keeper Alex Benedick to end the contest. All told, no team had more than a three-goal advantage during Wednesday's contest, and no squad had more than a two-goal cushion during the second half of play.
 
The Keydets were led by Brett Leonard, who had a career day by either scoring or assisting on each of VMI's seven goals on the afternoon. All told, Leonard notched four goals and three assists. The game's other story was the weather, as the majority of the second half was played in a driving rainstorm, which reeked havoc with the players' footing throughout the final 33 minutes of action.
 
VMI struck first, as Leonard scored the first of his four goals just 1:10 into the contest, giving the Keydets a 1-0 lead. The Mount fired back however, as the visitors scored three-consecutive goals to close the quarter and hold a 3-1 cushion after the first period. Mount St. Mary's was helped by a 13-5 advantage in groundballs during the opening 15 minutes of action.
 
The visiting squad continued its run early in the second, as the Mount took a 4-1 lead on Cody Lehrer's first of two goals, but VMI mounted a run of its own in response. Leonard's second goal came at the 12:39 mark to cut the margin to two, and Tim Moran scored back-to-back goals at 8:40 and 7:14 to tie the game. Both of Moran's scores were assisted by Leonard, and the Keydets went to the locker room with the score knotted at four.
 
The Mount came out strong to start the second half, scoring back-to-back goals to retake the advantage, 6-4 at the 9:17 mark. Once again, the Keydets responded with a run of their own, as Leonard scored his third goal of the contest, and Leonard's brother Drew Leonard scored his first career goal to square the contest at six apiece. Drew Leonard's score came at the 2:10 mark of the third, and was assisted by his brother Brett. The score remained tied at six after three periods.
 
As the rain began to intensify, Mount St. Mary's got back on the board at the 11:31 mark of the fourth, taking a 7-6 lead on Lehrer's second goal of the game, but for the final time, the Keydets responded. After ten minutes of back-and-forth play, Brett Leonard notched a dramatic goal at 1:48 to tie the game for the final time, 7-7, and it remained that way until the end of regulation. VMI could not get off a shot in overtime, setting the stage for Ososki's winning goal.
 
With the win, Mount St. Mary's moves to 4-8 overall and 4-3 in MAAC action, while the Keydets fall to 2-11 and 1-6 in League play. All told, the teams combined for 10 penalties in the physical, rough-and-tumble contest. VMI turned the ball over 22 times to the Mount's 17, and the Mount held a 26-24 edge in groundballs. VMI's Chris Rossie won 10-of-16 faceoffs, while VMI keeper Benedick made eight saves in the setback.
 
VMI lacrosse will return to action Saturday, as the Keydets close out the regular season by taking on 2008 MAAC Champion Canisius in Buffalo, N.Y. Game time is set for noon.
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Players Mentioned

Alex Benedick

#13 Alex Benedick

G
5' 10"
Freshman
Brett Leonard

#10 Brett Leonard

A/M
5' 11"
Junior
Drew Leonard

#34 Drew Leonard

A
6' 2"
Freshman
Tim Moran

#11 Tim Moran

M
5' 9"
Junior
Chris Rossie

#20 Chris Rossie

M
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Alex Benedick

#13 Alex Benedick

5' 10"
Freshman
G
Brett Leonard

#10 Brett Leonard

5' 11"
Junior
A/M
Drew Leonard

#34 Drew Leonard

6' 2"
Freshman
A
Tim Moran

#11 Tim Moran

5' 9"
Junior
M
Chris Rossie

#20 Chris Rossie

Freshman
M