– The nationally top-ranked Limestone College men's lacrosse team outscored nationally 12th-ranked University of Mount Olive by three goals in the second half to clinch the 2019 Conference Carolinas Regular Season Championship with a 12-10 decision on Saturday, April 20. GAME INFORMATION Score: No. 1 Limestone 12, No. 12 Mount Olive 10 Records: No. 1 Limestone (15-0, 7-0), No. 12 Mount Olive (11-3, 5-2) Location: Ray McDonald, Sr. Sports Complex INSIDE THE BOXSCORE Junior midfielder Clark Walter (Port Coquitlam, British Columbia) poured in six goals Junior attack Tyler Papa (Manlius, N.Y.) added a hat trick Senior attack Matt Bennett (Nedrow, N.Y.) tallied a goal and an assist Senior attack Jeremy Burns (Fort Mitchell, Ky.) also chipped in a goal and an assist Junior Larson Sundown (Basom, N.Y.) dished out an assist Junior Christopher Parrott (Rising Sun, Md.) went 19-of-23 at the "X" with nine groundballs Senior keeper Danny Forren (Trumbull, Conn.) finished with 12 saves HOW IT HAPPENED First Quarter Limestone tallied the go-ahead score in the opening minute as Walter split the cage at the 14:23-mark, and then Papa intercepted a clear attempt by the Trojans before sprinting down the field to score with the defense unsettled to make it 2-0 early on. Mount Olive would close the margin to 2-1 a few ticks later. Walter put the Saints on top, 3-1, with a man-up goal off an assist from Sundown midway through the opening period, but the Trojans rattled off two straight scores to tie the contest with 3:42 remaining. However, Burns would give the visitors a 4-3 edge at the end of the first with his 20th goal of the season. Second Quarter Mount Olive tied the contest early in the second before the home team grabbed their first lead of the day, 5-4, a couple of moments later. The scoring run continued for the Trojans as they pushed the advantage to 6-4 with 7:19 left, but Walter's third goal of the day would pull the Saints to within 6-5 at the break. Third Quarter The Trojans regained a two-goal margin to start the third, but Walter's fourth score of the game sparked a 3-0 spurt for the Saints over the next couple of minutes. Walter tallied another goal during that run before senior Tyler Ponzio (Ronkonkoma, N.Y.) scored 12 ticks later off the ensuing faceoff to make it 8-7. Mount Olive tied the game at 8-all with a man-up goal at the 5:18-mark, but fancy footwork by Walter off an assist from Bennet put Limestone back in front, 9-8. UMO again had an answer, forcing the fifth tie of the game, but Papa split the cage on the other end to give the Saints a 10-9 lead heading into the fourth. Fourth Quarter With a one-goal game entering the final frame, the Trojans continued to hang with the nation's top-ranked team as they tied the game yet again with 10:47 left in regulation. After the Saints held up against a two-man down situation, Papa took the ball himself to put the visitors back on top, 11-10, with 6:49 remaining. Limestone grabbed its largest lead, 12-10, since early in the first quarter as Bennett deposited a feed from Burns less than a minute later. The Blue and Gold would make that score hold up over the final six minutes as the Saints limited Mount Olive to three shots down the stretch to clinch the conference title. TURNING POINT Trailing by a pair of scores to start the second half, Limestone used a 3-0 spurt – fueled by two goals from Walter – to take its first lead since the close of the first quarter. The game would go back-and-forth until the Saints scored twice over a 50-second span late in regulation to pull out the league-clinching win. NOTABLES Limestone claimed its 13th consecutive Conference Carolinas Regular Season Championship The Saints have now won 22 straight regular season titles dating back to the 1998 season The Blue and Gold improves to 11-0 all-time against the Trojans Limestone outpaced Mount Olive 52-37 in shots attempted and 43-27 in groundballs The Saints went 19-of-26 in faceoff attempts on the afternoon UP NEXT With the top overall seed and a first-round bye, the Saints will make a return trip to Mount Olive next weekend to play in the semifinals of the 2019 Conference Carolinas Tournament. Limestone will play the winner of the Barton and North Greenville quarterfinal game on Tuesday night.