NORTHFIELD, Vt. - The The Norwich University men's lacrosse team returned to Sabine Field at Haynes Family Stadium on Wednesday afternoon, falling to Lasell University, 15-8, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) contest played in rainy conditions.

Six Cadets found the back of the net in the setback, led by a hat trick from Jake Marcotte (Old Orchard Beach, Maine), who also added an assist to finish with a team-high four points.  James Raymond (Tracy's Landing, Md.) contributed a goal and two assists, while Jackson Forbes (Merrimack, N.H.) recorded one goal and one helper.

Drew Fleury (Nashua, N.H.), Nicholas Wolfgang (New Port Richey, Fla.), and Alex Johnston (Franklin, Tenn.) each added a goal, and Noah St. Germaine (Plymouth, Mass.) chipped in an assist.

Lasell established early momentum, capitalizing on a Norwich penalty to open the scoring less than four minutes into the contest.  The Cadet defense settled in, but the Lasers continued to apply pressure, netting two additional goals before the end of the opening quarter to take a 3-0 lead.

The visitors extended their advantage with two more tallies during the first five minutes of the second frame before Raymond broke through with 9:39 remaining in the half to put Norwich on the board.  Lasell responded just 18 seconds later, but the Cadets generated a spark offensively.  Fleury initiated a brief surge with a goal with 5:30 left in the period, and Raymond later found Marcotte out of a timeout to cut the deficit in half.  Lasell answered with two quick goals in the closing minutes, however, carrying an 8-3 edge into halftime.

Norwich responded early in the third quarter after Lasell struck first. Forbes pushed the pace in transition, racing the length of the field before feeding Marcotte along the crease, who quickly dished across to Johnston for a finish into the corner.  Lasell countered moments later, but the Cadets continued to battle back.  Consecutive tallies from Forbes and Marcotte, the latter coming off a St. Germaine assist, trimmed the margin to 10-6.

After Lasell capitalized on a face-off opportunity to extend the lead, Marcotte struck again off a Forbes feed five minutes later, bringing Norwich within four at 11-7 entering the final quarter.

The fourth period belonged to the visitors, as Lasell outscored Norwich 4-1 over the final 15 minutes despite a late goal from Wolfgang.

Norwich finished 18-for-23 on clear attempts while limiting Lasell to 16 successful clears.  The Cadets forced 14 caused turnovers, led by three each from Fleury and Forbes, while Xavier Ixtlahuac (Carthage, N.Y.) added two.

In goal, Mason Dils (Watervliet, N.Y.) recorded 10 saves and collected five ground balls while playing the full 60 minutes.

The Cadets will continue their five-game homestand on Saturday, Mar. 14, hosting Albertus Magnus College at 2:00 p.m. in another GNAC matchup on Sabine Field.  Norwich will then step out of conference play to welcome Trinity College on Wednesday, Mar. 18.