TAMPA, Fla. - The Lynn University men's lacrosse team battled throughout a tough contest against No. 2 Tampa in Sunshine State Conference action but ultimately fell 13-8 on Saturday afternoon after a strong Fighting Knights push kept the game competitive deep into the second half.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

- Tampa opened the scoring early in the first quarter, but Dom Veratti answered with an unassisted goal to even the game at 1-1, with the first quarter ending level at 1-1 in a defensive opening frame

- Hunter Klosterman set the tone early in goal, making three consecutive saves in a one-minute span to keep Lynn within striking distance

- Tampa briefly regained the lead early in the second period, 2-1

- Klosterman then caused a turnover, with Mitch Rini collecting the ground ball to spark a Lynn counterattack

- Veratti struck again, this time off a Connor Zombro assist, tying the game at 2-2 with 12:48 remaining in the half

- Lynn continued to battle possession-for-possession before heading into halftime down just 4-3 after a late Tampa goal at the three-minute mark

- The Spartans opened the third quarter with momentum, but the Fighting Knights responded when Cullen Trent scored midway through the period to cut the deficit to 6-4

- Tampa pushed ahead late in the third, but Lynn stayed aggressive as Jack McKay added a goal to make it 10-5 leading into the final quarter

- Mario Leone got Lynn going in the fourth, converting off a Rini assist to make it 11-6 and spark another Fighting Knight response

- Veratti completed his hat trick with just over two minutes remaining, continuing his dominant offensive outing

- Michael Evans added a late goal off a George Futrell assist as Lynn finished strong in the closing minutes

- Despite Lynn's late push and competitive stretches throughout, Tampa maintained control down the stretch to secure the 13-8 victory

FIGHTING KNIGHT STATS:

- Klosterman delivered a career-high 22 saves against No. 2 Tampa, anchoring the defense throughout

- Veratti scored a hat trick, his fifth of the season, and continues to lead the Fighting Knights with 25 goals in 2026

- Trent, a freshman, now has seven goals in seven games as a Fighting Knight

- Futrell earned his first collegiate assist on the final Lynn goal of the game

- Lynn finished 18-24 on successful clears and recorded 21 ground balls

UP NEXT:

The Fighting Knights close out the regular season at home against Saint Leo on Wednesday, April 15 at 6:00 p.m.