BOCA RATON, Fla. - The Lynn University men's lacrosse team battled throughout but came up just short in a 12-10 Sunshine State Conference decision against Palm Beach Atlantic on Wednesday evening at Bobby Campbell Stadium.

Mario Leone paced the Fighting Knights with four goals and one assist, while Mitch Rini added a hat trick to lead a balanced offensive effort.

HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Palm Beach Atlantic struck early with back-to-back goals in the opening minutes to take a 2-0 lead
- Lynn responded with a strong run, as Leone and Dom Veratti found the back of the net to even the score, 2-2
- Rini scored twice in quick succession, helping the Fighting Knights build a 4-2 advantage midway through the first quarter
- Leone added another goal off a pass from Nick Calleri to cap a five-goal opening period for Lynn and give the Blue and White a 5-3 lead
- The Sailfish answered in the second quarter, using a scoring surge to tie the game at 5-5
- Leone continued his standout performance with a goal at the 7:33 mark to retake the lead, 6-5
- Leone found the back of the net once again off a feed from Connor Zombro to give Lynn a 7-6 lead heading into halftime
- The third quarter remained tightly contested, with Palm Beach Atlantic striking first to take an 8-7 lead before Rini leveled the score off a pass from Jackson Cutter
- John Meyers opened the fourth quarter by forcing a turnover, with Garrett Coombs scooping up the ground ball to spark the Lynn attack
- Zombro struck early in the fourth off a feed from Cullen Trent to give Lynn a 9-8 advantage with 13:35 remaining
- The Sailfish responded with a late scoring run, netting four unanswered goals to take a 12-9 lead
- Veratti added a goal in the final minute off an assist from Leone, but the comeback effort fell short as time expired

FIGHTING KNIGHT STATS:
- Leone led Lynn with four goals and one assist, bringing his season total to 17
- He ranks among the top scorers in the SSC with 1.70 goals per game
- Rini recorded three goals for his second hat trick of the season
- Veratti finished with two goals and leads Lynn with 22 on the year
- He ranks fourth in the SSC with 2.20 goals per game
- Zombro totaled one goal and two assists
- Hunter Klosterman made nine saves in goal
- Klosterman now has 102 saves on the season, ranking sixth in the SSC

UP NEXT:
The Fighting Knights return to action on Saturday, April 11, hosting Tampa at 3:00 p.m.