Box Score POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – The Manhattanville men's lacrosse team dropped its 2013 season opener against the Vassar Brewers on Saturday afternoon by the score of 12-7. Senior Will Sahakian (Natick, Mass./Rivers School) and sophomore Tom Tarczali (Stratford, Conn./Saint Joseph) netted two goals each in the losing effort.
 
Tarczali got Manhattanville on the board first with 8:29 left in the first quarter. Vassar tied the game shortly after as both teams began to feel one another out to start off the season. Vassar picked up a goal from Colin Cerderna to take its first lead of the game at 2-1.
 
Sahakian got the Valiants tied again with his first of the season, followed by a tally by junior Eric Brown (East Brunswick, N.J./East Brunswick) to give the Valiants a 3-2 lead heading into the first quarter break.
 
Manhattanville opened up a 5-2 edge in the second quarter as Sahakian and freshman Connor Normandin (Stratford, Conn./Bunnell) put balls into the cage with just a few minutes gone by in the second quarter.
 
Vassar got one more past senior netminder Dom Poletto (Engelwood, Colo./Regis Jesuit) to make the score 5-3 with 10:49 left in the second quarter. Neither team was able to score through the remainder of the half as the two sides went to the locker room with two goals separating the teams. Vassar outshot Manhattanville 21-17  through the first 30 minutes of play.
 
There was no scoring through the first five minutes of the third quarter as the scoring drought between the Valiants and Brewers continued. Vassar then exploded for four unanswered goals over the next five minutes and opened up a 7-5 lead.
 
Tarczali broke the streak with a man-up goal to pull Manhattanville back within one, with classmate Jack Polak (Longmeadow, Mass./Longmeadow) picking up the assist. Vassar answered back with two more goals to end the third period and send the teams into the break with the Valiants trailing by three.
 
The Brewers scored with just three minutes gone by in the third to increase their goal total to 10 as Shane Flattery picked up his fifth tally of the season. Sophomore Cory Balog (Hamden, Conn./Hamden) answered back three minutes later to bring Manhattanville within three once again but the Brewers continued to add on two more goals late in the game to hang on for the 12-7 victory.
 
In 60 minutes of play, Vassar outshot Manhattanville by a 48-31 total with shots on goal at a 29-21 differential. The Valiants did have the advantage in both ground balls clears, as well as faceoffs.
 
Earning the win in goal was Andrew Nicol, who made 14 saves in the winning effort while yielding seven Valiant goals. Poletto made 17 saves in the losing effort while allowing 12 goals in his first game of the season.
Manhattanville (0-1) will return home for the home opener of the 2013 season on Wednesday afternoon at 4 p.m. against Western Connecticut State. Vassar (2-1) will next be home for Montclair State on Wednesday at 7 p.m.