CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Queens University of Charlotte men's lacrosse team opened its season this afternoon against No. 6 Tampa falling 14-9 to the Spartans. The Royals now sit at 0-1 on the year while Tampa moves to 2-0.
 
Newcomer Kevin Barry led the Royals in his debut with five goals. Reed Murphy added two goals while Jake Coleman and Quinn Tallant each recorded one goal each. Kealan Pilon totaled two assists while Max Costello, Griffin Stechmiller, and Tallant each notched one. Stechmiller also totaled three ground balls and two caused turnovers to lead on the defensive end.  
 
After getting off to a hot start with a pair of goals within 27 seconds of each other, Queens found itself holding a 2-0 lead over the Spartans. Later, Barry followed the Spartans' first goal of the day with his first of the day at 8:34 to put the home team in front, 3-1. However, a 3-0 spurt by Tampa would put the Spartans ahead, 4-3, heading into the second.
 
Queens would go cold offensively in the second period finding the back of the net just once at 10:32 when Barry scored on a feed from Costello as the Spartans scored three more times to take a 7-4 lead at the halftime break.
 
After a goal at 10:45 from Tampa's Shane Hanlon doubled Queens' point total, Barry answered again after receiving a pass form Stechmiller to bring the Royals within three, 8-5, with 10:32 to play. Unfortunately, his goal would be the only for the Royals in the third as Tampa went on to put three more points on the board and take an 11-5 lead into the final 15 minutes of action.
 
Barry continued to have the hot hand in the fourth scoring 24 seconds into play to cut the margin to five, 11-6, but a Tampa goal from Jake Mosher McGraw soon followed to give the game a six-point spread once more. Reed Murphy found the back of the net at 10:30 to once again close the gap, however, the Spartans followed with back-to-back scores to lead by seven, 14-7, with 8:29 left in regulation. Queens' final two goals of the day would come in the final three minutes of play from Coleman and Barry.
 
Queens was edged, 38-37, in shots today while Tampa totaled 28 ground balls to Queens' 18. The Spartans also won 19-of-26 faceoffs with Ross Dickerson recording all 19 wins. Queens' Drew Flack recorded five wins in the circle. Both starting goalkeepers, B.J. Borowski of Tampa and Kyle Hornik of Queens, totaled 10 saves each in the cage.
 
Both Andrew Kew and Bryan Wright recorded hat tricks to lead Tampa this afternoon. Donavon Dempsey, Jake Mosher McGraw, and Hunter Van Horn scored two goals apiece. Kew and Max Lambert led in assists with two each.  
 
Queens is back in action on the road at North Greenville University on Saturday, Feb. 17. Last season, the Royals defeated the Crusaders by a score of 16-7. The game is slated to begin at 1 p.m.