GAFFNEY, S.C. – Junior attack Owen Consoletti (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) ripped off eight points on five goals and three assists and the nationally fifth-ranked Limestone University men's lacrosse team went 5-of-6 on extra-man chances to hold off pesky North Greenville University, 13-10, on Friday at Saints Field. GAME INFORMATION Score: No. 5 Limestone 13, North Greenville 10 Records: No. 5 Limestone (2-0), North Greenville (0-3) Location: Saints Field INSIDE THE BOXSCORE Consoletti registered five goals on five shots – he added three groundballs and a caused turnover Sophomore attack Ethan Stannard (Caledon, Ontario) finished with a pair of scores Senior attack Gavin Kesselring (Atlanta, Ga.) added two goals for the Saints Sophomore attack Jason Madden (Walnut Creek, Calif.) dished out four assists Freshman attack Frank Smith (Bayville, N.Y.) chipped in a goal and three groundballs Senior midfielder Mike Carpenter (Queensbury, N.Y.) also tallied a score Freshman midfielder Chris Erneston IV (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) posted a score Senior Dakota Kirsch-Downs (Odenton, Md.) went 12-of-19 on faceoff attempts Sophomore long stick Tyler Wright (Saint Leonard, Md.) caused three turnovers Graduate keeper William Baxter (Manchester, England) allowed 10 goals but posted 12 saves Limestone finished 5-of-6 on extra-man opportunities while holding NGU to a 2-of-8 clip HOW IT HAPPENED First Quarter The Saints drew first blood as Stannard scored off an assist from Consoletti for a man-up goal just five minutes into the contest, but North Greenville followed with three straight tallies to take a 3-1 lead midway through the first. That momentum was short-lived though as Limestone responded with a quick 3-0 spurt. Consoletti dished out his second assist of the period, finding Carpenter for a long-range strike, before he went top-shelf to even the game at 3-all with 3:48 left. Smith then put the Saints back on top, 4-3, with a fade-away shot, but NGU would tie things up a few ticks later on an extra-man goal. However, Consoletti picked up a loose ball on the ensuing faceoff and put the Saints back in front, 5-4, to close the quarter. Second Quarter The Crusaders once again tied the game, scoring a man-up goal that was initially saved before rolling across the goal line with 11:35 remaining in the half. North Greenville controlled the pace for much of the second period, forcing six Limestone turnovers in the quarter, but the Saints finally got on the board late. Getting a third extra-man opportunity in the opening half, the Blue and Gold took advantage as Consoletti found Stannard streaking down the middle as the Saints regained the lead with 4:38 left. Limestone then tacked on another goal down the stretch as Erneston scored to make it 7-5 with nine seconds remaining. Third Quarter The Saints extended the overall scoring run to five straight early in the second half, pulling away a bit by running off three quick goals in the third. Limestone made it 4-of-4 on extra-man chances as Consoletti finish off a feed from Madden before Kesselring added back-to-back goals to double up the visitors, 10-5. North Greenville countered with two quick scores, trimming the margin to 10-7, but Madden once again found Consoletti to capitalize on an unsettled defense for his fourth goal of the night. The Crusaders continue hanging around, however, as a goal off a faceoff closed the gap to 11-8 at the end of the third. Fourth Quarter Junior midfielder Connor Grauer (Riverhead, N.Y.) staked the Blue and Gold to a 12-8 margin less than two minutes into the final quarter, connecting from long distance for his second goal of the season, but North Greenville answered with two straight goals on the other end to make it a 12-10 game with 7:22 left. That would be the closest the Crusaders would get the rest of the way though as Consoletti delivered an insurance goal off a nice dish from Madden to put the Saints up by three. The defense took it the rest of the way with a forced turnover before Baxter sealed the 13-10 decision with two saves in the final minute. TURNING POINT With things tied at 5 late in the first half, the Saints used a 5-0 run that carried over into the third period to create some breathing room, 10-5. North Greenville kept fighting and made it a two-score game in the fourth, 12-10, but an insurance goal and solid defense down the stretch allowed Limestone to hang on. NOTABLES North Greenville outshot the Blue and Gold 40-39 and finished with a 42-36 edge in groundballs In a bit of a sloppy game, both teams combined for 14 penalties and 45 turnovers The three-goal margin in extra-man opportunities made all the difference in this game Kirsch-Downs moved into second place all-time in team history with 296 career groundballs The Saints improve to 9-0 all-time against North Greenville, but Friday's game was the narrowest margin of victory in the series history Limestone recorded its 90th home win under head coach J.B. Clarke (90-5 at Saints Field) UP NEXT The Blue and Gold is back in action next week to face its first nationally ranked team of the season as No. 13 Wingate University visits Saints Field on Saturday, February 27 at 3 p.m.