NORTHFIELD, Vt. – The Norwich University men's lacrosse team erased a six-goal deficit in the second half, but the Cadets dropped a non-conference game by an 11-8 margin on Monday. Taking on Plymouth State for the first time in 15 years, the Cadets fall to 2-6 overall on the season while the Panthers even their overall record at 3-3. 

Junior Matt Shea (Arlington, Mass.) scored a career-high three goals for Norwich. Freshman Connor Bourque (Goffstown, N.H.) struck twice for the Cadets while sophomore Cody Moore (Canton, N.Y.) scooped up five ground balls. Defensively, senior James Connors (Marshfield, Mass.) led Norwich defensively with two caused turnovers. 

The Panthers racked up a 6-0 lead with only 11:31 left in the first half of action. Shea scored his team's first goal, an unassisted tally, with 8:28 left in the second quarter, but a late strike from Plymouth State lifted the visitors to a 7-1 halftime lead over the Cadets. 

The Cadets were sparked by a goal from junior Nolan Aurelia (Stratford, Conn.) only 30 seconds into the second half. From there, Bourque scored the next two goals of the game for Norwich only 12 seconds apart to further cut into the deficit. Junior Josh Jenkins (Centennial, Colo.) and Shea followed with goals and the game was eventually tied on a man-up tally from Moore. 

Moore's goal came only 29 seconds into the fourth quarter, but Plymouth State followed with three-straight tallies to secure the victory despite the late Norwich rally. The Cadets limited Plymouth State to only two shots in the third quarter while potting a game-high five goals just out of the break. 

Sophomore Ian Kriger (Burlington, Mass.) made seven saves for Norwich, falling to 0-4 on the year after yielding 11 goals. Jayson LaRiviere halted nine shots for Plymouth State, earning his first win of the year. 

The Cadets failed on eight clears while the Panthers turned the ball over on only one of its 16 clearances. Plymouth State also held the statistical edge in ground balls, 33-to-27, and committed fewer turnovers than Norwich (23-to-17). 

Norwich hosts Maine Maritime on Wednesday, Mar. 29 at 3 p.m. on Sabine Field.