EMMITSBURG, Md. (February 25, 2021) – In a reversal of the season debut, Mount St. Mary's home opener featured plenty of goals. After matching La Salle in the first half, they conceded three second half goals to the Explorers in a 5-3 defeat.

All three goals for the Mount (0-2) were career firsts for their respective scorers. Alex Wrobleski got on the scoreboard first, followed by Marc-Arthur Massang and Fela Osifeso. Freshman Ian Buckwalter earned his first career assist by aiding Massang.

The defense struggled Tuesday, giving up 25 shots with 12 on goal. Keeper Adam Sivitier made seven saves in an exhaustive effort.

La Salle (2-1) had a different player score on their five goals. Scott Beeks came off the bench to score the fourth and deciding goal. The Philadelphians won the possession battle 60-40, and spent 60 percent of the game in the attacking zones. They also benefited from 11 corners, with none for the Mount.

Goal scoring started early and often, with Wrobleski finding the back of the net five minutes into the game. The Explorers consistently countered any momentum, setting that precedent three minutes after that with a goal from Junior Nare. After Massang's goal, Omari Cotterell polished the ball in the left corner with an aggressive swing.

Ike Hollinger scored on a penalty before Beeks' goal put the visitors up two. Osifeso drew a penalty and converted to pull within one, but La Salle responded off the next kickoff, scoring 50 seconds later.

"We got off to a great start with an early goal, but all credit to La Salle – every time we scored, they responded." Mount St. Mary's head coach Bryan Cunningham said. "In an end-to-end game like that, if you don't finish chances, you can fall behind quickly. We have to find an edge to our game and prepare for a battle up in Connecticut Monday."

The Mount begins Northeast Conference play on Monday (Mar. 1) at Central Connecticut. Kickoff is 2 p.m. in New Britain.