NEW LONDON, Conn. - The Norwich University men's lacrosse team endured a challenging contest on Saturday afternoon, dropping a 19-4 non-conference affair at the United States Coast Guard Academy to conclude the first week of the regular season.

Jake Marcotte (Old Orchard Beach, Maine) paced the Cadet effort, tallying three points on two goals and an assist to go with a ground ball and a caused turnover.  Christian Rainis (Wynantskill, N.Y.) also posted multiple points, earning two behind a goal and a helper.  Drew Fleury (Nashua, N.H.), Case MacDonald (Burke, Va.), and James Raymond (Tracy's Landing, Md.) rounded out the Norwich athletes with points, as MacDonald found the back of the net while Fleury and Raymond provided assists.

Norwich faced a daunting task early on, as the Bears struck first on a man-up opportunity just over three minutes into the game, generating a nine-goal stretch that lasted into the second quarter.  MacDonald finally put the Cadets on the board at the 2:57 mark of the stanza, granting Norwich some momentum at halftime facing a 9-1 deficit.

Another Coast Guard score out of the break was answered by Rainis, but three-straight scores by the Bears continued to stretch the advantage.  Marcotte netted his first in the waning minutes of the third frame, yet Coast Guard again had a response, ripping in five consecutive tallies before Fleury found Marcotte for Norwich's fourth and final goal in the final minute.

The Cadets enjoyed 13 successful clears on the day, including a perfect 4-4 mark during the third period.  Norwich's defense generated 10 Coast Guard miscues, spearheaded by four from Clayton Cisar (Aberdeen, Md.).

Thomas Hopkins (Chelmsford, Mass.) logged seven saves between the pipes in his first tilt of the season, playing a full 60 minutes in the crease.

Norwich hits the road for another non-conference duel, this time traveling to Plymouth State University on Tuesday, Mar. 4, for a 3:00 p.m. battle.  The Cadets then return home to close spring break, hosting Massachusetts Maritime Academy on Saturday, Mar. 8.