FRANKLIN, Mass. - Despite a valiant late effort to close the gap, the Norwich University men's lacrosse team endured a 14-10 misstep at Dean College to wrap up the regular season in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play on Tuesday afternoon.

Five Cadets registered goals, with Tyler Seidel (Centreville, Md.) and Mitchell McKay (Lynnfield, Mass.) both drilling in hat tricks, with Seidel also dishing out three helpers, to lead the offensive effort.  Luke Pineo (Cotuit, Mass.) added a pair of scores, while Matt Meehan (Norfolk, Mass.) and Chris Smith (Dawsonville, Ga.) each tallied goals.

Dean controlled the tone early, logging the first point just a minute in before snagging two more late in the opening stanza.  Seidel found Meehan for Norwich's first goal with just 12 seconds remaining, but the Bulldogs picked right up in the second quarter, outscoring the Cadets, 3-1, in the quarter to take a four-goal lead at the break.

Both teams exchanged goals to kick off the third frame, but an Alec Speirs tally set into motion a 5-0 run by the Bulldogs that gave them a 13-4 edge.  Dean's momentum was short-lived, as McKay ripped in a pair and Pineo found the back of the net to combine for three goals in the final 41 seconds of the quarter.

McKay, Smith, and Seidel contributed three more to the rally in the fourth quarter, whittling the Bulldogs' lead down to 13-10, but the Cadets could not find any further answer for Dean's massive run, as a man-up goal from Diego Alvarez-Segee sealed the deal in the waning minutes.

The Cadets scooped up 39 ground balls while going a near-perfect 17-18 on clear attempts.  Thomas Kelliher (Shrewsbury, Mass.) turned away eight shots between the pipes.

Alvarez-Segee led Dean in scoring with six goals and two assists, while Speirs and Greg Centeio finished with three goals apiece.

The loss cements Norwich into the eighth and final spot in the upcoming GNAC Tournament, as the Cadets will now travel to Boston, Mass., for a Saturday duel against top-seeded Emmanuel College in the GNAC Quarterfinals, currently scheduled for 4:00 p.m.  The Saints topped Norwich in both team's conference openers, 14-7, back on Mar. 18 on Sabine Field.