BOSTON, Mass. - A furious late-game rally by the Norwich University men's lacrosse team fell just short of the final mark on Wednesday evening, as the Cadets dropped a narrow 9-8 decision to Emmanuel College in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) clash at Clemente Field.

Jackson Forbes (Merrimack, N.H.) led a quintet of Norwich scorers with a hat trick, while Drew Fleury (Nashua, N.H.) added three points on two goals and an assist.  Nicholas Wolfgang (New Port Richey, Fla.) contributed a goal and an assist, Christian Rainis (Wynantskill, N.Y.) and Robbie McAllister (Amherst, Mass.) each added a goal, and Jake Marcotte (Old Orchard Beach, Maine) chipped in an assist.

Emmanuel seized early momentum, striking three times in the opening nine minutes to build a 3-0 lead before Forbes got Norwich on the board with an unassisted tally at the 3:06 mark of the first quarter.  The hosts answered less than 30 seconds later, taking a 4-1 advantage into the second frame.

The Cadets responded with one of their strongest stretches of the night to open the second quarter. Rainis started the surge with an unassisted goal just over a minute in, before McAllister finished a feed from Fleury less than a minute later to cut the deficit to one.  Norwich then pulled even at 4-4 when Forbes converted on a man-up opportunity off a Wolfgang assist with 11:14 left in the half.

Emmanuel regained the lead with five minutes remaining in the second quarter and carried a 5-4 edge into halftime.

The Saints added another score midway through the third period, but Fleury answered with an unassisted strike at the 2:33 mark to bring Norwich back within one entering the final quarter.

Emmanuel gained some breathing room early in the fourth, scoring twice in a 44-second span to stretch the advantage to 8-5.  Norwich continued to battle, however, as Wolfgang finished a Marcotte feed with 5:35 remaining to keep the Cadets within striking distance.

After Emmanuel restored its three-goal cushion with 3:14 to play, Norwich made one final push.  Forbes delivered his third goal of the night with 1:38 left, and Fleury followed with an unassisted score with just 16 seconds remaining to trim the deficit to 9-8.  The late rally ran out of time there, as Emmanuel held on for the one-goal win.

Despite the result, Norwich turned in a strong defensive effort throughout the night.  Mason Dils (Watervliet, N.Y.) was outstanding in goal, recording 17 saves across a full 60 minutes of action.

The Cadets also posted solid numbers in several key areas, finishing 22-for-27 on clears while holding a 30-23 edge in ground balls and a 12-9 advantage at the face-off X.

Ryan Magararu (Newtonville, Mass.) led the effort at the stripe, winning 12 of 20 face-offs while collecting a team-high six ground balls.  Robert Carr (Amsterdam, N.Y.), Harrison Poquette (South Burlington, Vt.), and Dils each added four ground balls.

Defensively, Norwich generated nine caused turnovers, with Carr, Poquette, and Rainis leading the way with two apiece.

The Cadets will remain on the road in their next outing, traveling to Dean College on Saturday, Apr. 18, for a 12:00 p.m. battle.  Norwich will then return home for its regular season finale on Monday, Apr. 20, hosting Colby-Sawyer College at 4:00 p.m.