PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Seven different Pioneers had a goal Saturday for the Sacred Heart men's lacrosse team, but it wasn't enough to overcome a five-goal second quarter from the Providence Friars in an 11-8 loss at Ray Treacy Track.

Senior attack Ian Farley (Camillus, N.Y.) led Sacred Heart with two goals. Alex Dodge (Smithtown, N.Y.) had a team-high five points on a goal and a game-high four assists. Jerome Rigor (Pleasanton, Calif.) had a goal and an assist for two points.

Sacred Heart (1-2) goalie Jon Flood (Bay Shore, N.Y.) and Providence goalie Peter Badgley traded saves early in the first quarter. Dodge put the Pioneers on the board with 11:31 to play in the opening period, giving Sacred Heart a 1-0 lead. Providence tied the game at the 4:30 mark as Joshua Keller scored on the rebound of a Keenan Assaraf shot. Sacred Heart took back the lead with 1:56 remaining in the quarter when Bryce Jurk (Burlington, Ont.) scored a man-up goal to put the score at 2-1.

The Friars opened the second quarter with back-to-back goals by Will Mazzone and Keller to take a 3-2 lead with 11:42 remaining in the half. Farley pulled Sacred Heart level with his goal at the 10:14 mark, assisted by Rigor. Providence responded with a three-goal run, as a Nolan Fillet goal with 5:46 left in the quarter put the Friars ahead 6-3. The Pioneers closed the deficit to two goals before halftime as Julian Garritano (Markham, Ont.) scored with 1:03 left in the half off of a Dodge assist.

Providence (3-2) scored off the opening faceoff in the third quarter, as Michael Perettine tallied a goal 11 seconds in to give the Friars a 7-4 lead. Sacred Heart answered with a goal off the next faceoff as Tim Caton (East Rochester, N.Y.) scored eight seconds later to make the score 7-5. After the Friars went up by three, 8-5, with 10:37 remaining in the third, freshman Reed Avveduti (Niskayuna, N.Y.) scored his first career goal with an assist from Dodge to get the Pioneers back within two at 8-6 23 seconds later. Providence tacked on one more goal before the end of the quarter to take a 9-6 lead heading into the fourth.

The Friars took their largest lead of the game with 10:37 remaining in the fourth quarter when Buck McClure scored a man-up goal. The Pioneers closed to within two with 8:01 remaining as Rigor and Farley scored 27 seconds apart to make the score 10-8. That would be as close as Sacred Heart would get, as Providence scored once more in the final six minutes  to make the final score 11-8.

Sacred Heart outshot Providence 40-38, but the Friars held a decisive 33-15 advantage in groundballs. Flood made 10 saves for the Pioneers as Badgley had 20 for the Friars. Both teams were 2-for-5 on the extra-man. Mazzone had five points for Providence on three goals and two assists.

The Pioneers host Vermont in their home opener on Saturday, March 14 at 3 p.m. The game is Sacred Heart's Face-Off For A Cause, benefitting the Wounded Warrior Project.