NEWTON, Mass. – Despite firing a season-high 52 shots in the contest, the Norwich University men's lacrosse team posted an 8-7 loss to the host Mustangs from Mount Ida College on Tuesday. 

The Cadets dip to 5-7 on the season while losing their second Great Northeast Athletic Conference tilt of the year. Mount Ida moves to 8-4 on the year and boasts a 2-1 mark against conference foes in 2017. 

Junior Josh Jenkins (Centennial, Colo.) led Norwich with two goals. Five other Cadets registered single goals while junior Nolan Aurelia (Stratford, Conn.) posted his team's lone assist on the afternoon. Norwich held distinct advantages in shots taken (52-to-27), shots on goal (28-to-16), face-off wins (11-to-8), ground balls (40-to-30) and caused turnovers (18-to-12). 

Norwich scored the game's final three goals of the game, capped off by a sophomore Cody Moore (Canton, N.Y.) tally with 1:06 to go on the fourth quarter scoreboard, but Norwich was unable to knot the game down the stretch. Moore ripped a shot with 27 seconds left in the contest, but Mount Ida's Cam Hayward made his 21st save of the contest to stymie the Cadets. 

Down by a 3-0 margin with only 10:45 left in the first half, Aurelia potted a goal to slow the Mount Ida momentum. Trailing by a 4-1 score, the Cadets tied the game with back-to-back goals by Jenkins, followed by a marker from junior Ian Kennedy (Gloucester, Mass.).

With the score tied at 4-4 in the second half, Mount Ida sprinted out with four-straight goals that ultimately led to an 8-4 lead with 9:41 left in the fourth quarter. Freshman Connor Bourque (Goffstown, N.H.), sophomore Aidan Moulton (Danvers, Mass.) and Moore sparked Norwich in the waning minutes of the game, but the Cadets were unable to close the gap. 

Norwich backstop Ian Kriger (Burlington, Mass.) halted eight of 16 shots that he faced, drawing the loss. Hayward allowed only seven goals on 28 shots, propelling his squad to the key Great Northeast Athletic Conference win. 

The Cadets host Albertus Magnus College this Saturday, Apr. 15 at 1 p.m. on Sabine Field.