ELMHURST, Ill. – The Elmhurst University men's lacrosse team handed Albion College its first loss of the season with a 13-12 victory at Langhorst Field.

Ben Luke put the Bluejays on the board in the first 26 seconds of play, but Albion's Sam Puzevic responded with 8:08 left in the opening period to tie the game up at one apiece.

Elmhurst (4-2) went on to score four unanswered goals; a pair each from Cullen Nordeman and Luke.

Jace Conley scored back-to-back goals for the Britons in the final 14 seconds to close out the first quarter with Elmhurst leading 5-3.

The Bluejays extended their lead in the second quarter with five straight goals to head into the locker room with a 10-3 advantage. 

Albion (5-1) outscored Elmhurst 8-3 in the second half, pulling to within one goal on two occasions, but the Bluejays were able to hold on for the win with some key defensive stops in the final minutes.

Elmhurst was led by Luke with six goals and three assists for a nine-point day. Jake Grebe added in one goal and four assists, while Nordeman finished with two goals and two assists. Sante Dybowski contributed two goals, while Marcus Yandall and Parker O'Leary each chipped in a goal each. Braden King picked up a team-high five groundballs and won 7-of-19 faceoffs in the win.

Albion was led by Conley with five goals and one assist. Puzevic added a pair of goals and assists, while Ethan Rottell chipped in two goals and an assist. Timmy Salinas, Andrew Miller and Brock Yabs each scored a goal for the Britons in the loss. Yabs also finished with a team-high three assists. Gerald Haadsma won 15-of-26 faceoffs and picked up a game-high ten groundballs.

The Bluejays took advantage of their extra man opportunities, scoring on 3-of-6 attempts.

Albion goalkeeper, Bradley Luketic, collected 12 saves, while Noah Mickelson earned the win for Elmhurst with 19 saves.

Elmhurst hosts Benedictine University for its next matchup at Langhorst Field on Thursday, March 17 at 7:00 p.m.