NORTHFIELD, Vt. - The Norwich University men's lacrosse team fell in their home opener on Tuesday night, as non-conference foe Skidmore College bested Norwich 12-7 on Sabine Field. 

A tightly contested first half saw Norwich enter the halftime break with a slim 5-4 advantage behind a pair of Cody Moore (Canton, N.Y.) goals. The second half proved to be all Skidmore however, as the Thoroughbreds outscored Norwich 8-2 in the second half to cruise to the 12-7 victory. 

Cody Moore notched his first hat trick of the year on just five shots, while Payden Masaracchia (Enola, Pa.) stayed hot with a pair of goals. Joseph Santangelo (Fallston, Md.) dominated the faceoffs on the day, going 17-19 on faceoffs with 12 ground balls, the third highest single-game mark in program history. Shots were even at 28 for each side, but Skidmore produced a huge advantage in clearing going 16-17 on the evening compared to Norwich's 8-15 mark. 

The Cadets fall to an even 3-3 on the year with the loss, while Skidmore rises to 2-4 overall. Next up for Norwich is a home date with Albertus Magnus on March 30th, on Norwich lacrosse's One Love Day here on the University campus.