The Canisius College men's lacrosse teams lost its season opener at 16th-ranked Colgate on Friday, 15-11. The Raiders used six man-up goals to slip by the Griffs.

“It was a real tough loss today,” said Canisius head coach Randy Mearns. “At times, we played so well but we couldn't keep out of the box and that cost us big. We can score and had 11 even-strength goals, so that is a good sign. We now need to take care of the little things as we focus on Princeton.”

Sophomore Adam Jones scored four goals to the lead the Griffs, while classmate Nick LoCoco matched Jones with four points, registering a goal and three assists. Senior Justin Rychlicki and freshman Simon Giourmetakis both notched a pair of goals, while junior John Minieri and freshman Jimmy Haney each added a goal.

Senior Bryan Jack stopped nine shots in his first start of the season.

After Colgate (1-0) scored the opening goal of the game, the Griffs responded with two quick goals to take its first lead of the contest. LoCoco registered the Griffs' first score of the season and Rychlicki followed 43 seconds later for the 2-1 advantage.

The teams traded a pair of goals before Colgate notched two-consecutive goals in the second quarter for a 5-4 lead. Jones answered with his first goal of the season but the Raiders would tally the next five goals to end the second and begin the third period to claim a 10-5 advantage.

The Griffs rallied back, scoring three of the game's next four goals. Haney started the run and after a Colgate goal, Giourmetakis notched a man-down goal and Jones scored his second of the game to pull Canisius within three, 11-8, heading into the fourth quarter.

Colgate scored two man-up goals to start the fourth quarter before Jones and Giourmetakis each tallied a score to once again pull within three, 13-10, with seven minutes left in the game. However, Canisius could not get any closer and the nationally-ranked Raiders held on for the 15-11 victory.

Brandon Corp led the Raiders with eight points on five goals and three assists, while Nick Monastero registered a game-high six goals. Tim Harrington stopped nine shots in goal.

Colgate scored on six of its 12 man-up opportunities in the game, while the Griffs did not covert in their two man-up chances. Colgate held a 35-26 advantage in shots, while Canisius won 15-of-29 faceoffs.

Canisius returns to the field on Feb. 21, playing at No. 9 Princeton.

Game Notes: Jones has registered a hat trick in 11-of-17 career games ... LoCoco finished third nationally in assists per game during the 2008 season ... The Griffs fell to 3-8 in season openers under Mearns ... Canisius opened the season against a ranked team for the fourth-consecutive season ... Sophomore Tom Vivian recorded the first point of his career with an assist on the team's third goal ... Giourmetakis and Haney both scored in their first collegiate games.