Hickory, N.C. - The no. 3 Adelphi University men's lacrosse team came up short Sunday afternoon in its season opener, dropping a 17-16 decision to no. 17 Lenoir Rhyne at Moretz Stadium. 

Nicolas Racalbuto led the Panthers (0-1) with four goals, and was followed by four others who each chipped in a couple of tallies apiece, as eight different players scored in the loss.  Kevin Rice set a new career-mark in saves, finishing with 13 on the afternoon. 

Adelphi got out to a hot start under the North Carolina sun, scoring the first four goals. While Racalbuto and James Hall notched goals, defenders Justin Napolitano and Sean McGovern also got in on the scoring action to after three minutes in the first quarter. The Bears (4-1) scored three of the next five goals, but the visitors still managed a 6-3 lead after the first frame. 

The teams traded goals to open the second frame, but Gordon Purdie, Jr. and Michael Paccione each added a tally to stretch the Adelphi lead to five. Lenoir-Rhyne closed the gap however, scoring four of the last strikes in the half. The Bears held the advantage at the faceoff after the opening two quarters but trailed in nearly every other category. 

It took three scores from the home team out of the break to knot the contest at 11-all in a frame that ended also in a 13-13 tie at its conclusion. 

Lenoir Rhyne took advantage of a man-up possession which sparked a three-goal run for the hosts, which left the Panthers trailing by three with 3:09 left in regulation. 

Adelphi's final two goals came late in the quarter, as an own goal and a solo shot from John Arcidiacono closed out the contest. 

The Brown and Gold are back in action on Wednesday, March 4 when they take on the University of Tampa in a neutral site game at Johns Hopkins University.