Men's Lacrosse | 2/27/2013 7:52:00 PM

Box Score

OWINGS MILLS, MD -- The No. 8 RIT men's lacrosse team (0-1) battled back, coming back from three goals down late in the fourth quarter, taking No. 2 Stevenson to overtime, but the Mustangs snuck out a 12-11 win in a battle of top-ten teams on Wednesday evening at Mustang Stadium. It was the season opener for the Tigers.

Taylor Wisman (Seattle, WA/Inglemoor) tied the score at 11-11 with 43 seconds to play in regulation. He took a feed in front of the Stevenson net, swirled and fired a shot that beat Mustangs keeper Dimitri Pecunes.

Stevenson's Mark Pannenton scored the game winner with 1:49 to play in the overtime, as the Mustangs improve to 3-0 on the season.

Kyle Aquin (Hamilton, Ontario/St. Jean De Brebeuf) led RIT with four goals, while freshman Kyle Sterzin (Fairport, NY/Fairport) scored two. Jack Krzyston (Bedford, NH/Bishop Guertin), #P.J. Hart#, Taylor Wisman (Seattle, WA/Inglemoor), Pat McMullan (Easton, PA/Wyoming Seminary), and Allister Warren (Toronto, Ontario/Malvern Collegiate Institute) each had goals for the Tigers. Brad Gillies (Oakville, Ontario/St. Thomas Aquinas) dished out a pair of assists.

Pat Johnston (Long Beach, CA/Norwell (MA)) took the loss, making 12 saves. Pecunes picked up the win, stopping 11 shots.

Stevenson held a 54-30 shot advantage, and a 32-27 ground ball edge. RIT went 0-for-2 with the extra man, while the Mustangs were 2-for-9. The Tigers were 15-of-18 on clearing attempts and won 10-of-26 face-offs.

Hart gave RIT a 1-0 lead on an unassisted goal with 12:40 to play in the first quarter. He scopped up a ground ball on RIT's defensive end, cleared the ball himself, drove and scored with a good hard bounce shot to give RIT a 1-0 lead.

Aquin made it 2-0 RIT off an assist from Gillies with 11:46 to play in the opening quarter. Gillies fed Aquin and he placed a shot into the top corner for his first of the season.

Michael Crowe and Matt Tompkins scored back-to-back goals for Stevenson in the second quarter, cutting RIT's lead to 3-2.

McMullan and Warren scored driving goals from their midfield spots to open RIT's lead to 5-2.

Chris Dashiell scored with 1:26 to play in the half to cut RIT's lead down to 5-3.

The Mustangs grabbed the momentum in the third quarter, outscoring RIT 3-0 in the quarter. Billy Burgoyne scored twice, and Mark Pannenton added one for Stevenson who led 6-5 after three quarters.

Sterzin broke the run by the Mustangs with the first goal of his collegiate career with 12:17 to play in the fourth quarter on an assist from Wisman.

The Mustangs rattled off two straight goals, taking a 10-7 lead on Crowe's fourth goal of the season.

Aquin struck twice for the Tigers with 3:59 and 3:24 to play in regulation, pulling RIT to within a goal at 10-9. A Nick Rossi goal with 2:48 to play made it 11-9 Mustangs.

Sterzin made it a one-goal game with 1:11 to play on his second goal of the game. Wisman tied the game at 11-11 with 43 seconds left.

RIT won the opening face-off in overtime, but turned the ball over. Stevenson came down and fired a shot on the unsettled situation just wide of the net.

The Tigers had a chance to clear, but another caused turnover by the Mustangs led to Pannenton's game winner.

RIT returns to action on Wednesday, March 6 when the Tigers host The College at Brockport at 4 p.m. on RIT's Turf Field.