SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (May 11, 2016) - The No. 12 ranked Western New England University men's lacrosse team was unable to recover from a seven-goal halftime deficit, falling to SUNY Cortland by a 13-5 score this afternoon in the first round of the 2016 NCAA Division III Tournament at Golden Bear Stadium.

Cortland (14-5) advances to the second round, where the Red Dragons will meet two-time defending NCAA champion Tufts on Saturday afternoon. Western New England, which was making its eighth all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament, sees its season come to a close at 15-4.

The Golden Bears struggled to penetrate Cortland's stifling defense in the first half, as the Red Dragons raced out to a 7-0 lead at intermission. Western New England was able to get its offense going over the final 30 minutes, scoring two goals in the third quarter and three in the fourth, but the early deficit proved too much to overcome.

Senior Jon Bota (Mahopac, N.Y.) led the Golden Bears with two goals, while classmate Taylor Dubose (Altamont, N.Y.) and junior Keegan Dudeck (Longmeadow, Mass.) added two points each with one goal and one assist.

Defensively, senior Drew Trebbe (Wilbraham, Mass.) caused a pair of turnovers and sophomore goalie Steven Kerr (Hopkinton, Mass.) made eight saves in the cage.

Cortland sophomore Ryan Mahon (Bethpage, N.Y.) paced the visitors with four points (three goals, one assist), while classmate Nate Beresovoy (LaFayette, N.Y.) recorded a hat trick and senior Zach Hopps (Akwesasne, N.Y.) chipped in with one goal and two assists.

Senior Pat Baldwin (Alpharetta, Ga.) went 12-for-21 at the faceoff X, and also led all players with ten ground balls.

The Red Dragons limited Western New England to just four shots on goal over the opening 30 minutes en route to their 7-0 lead at the break. Cortland extended its advantage to nine early in the second half, as Hopps and Mahon each found the back of the net.

Senior Patrick Dillon (Baldwin, N.Y.) got the Golden Bears on the board at the 4:46 mark of the third quarter, and Dudeck scored 2:16 later as Western New England pulled to within seven (9-2), but Cortland restored its nine-goal cushion heading into the fourth with a pair of goals in the final minute of the period.

Dubose notched his 21^st goal of the season just 1:19 into the final quarter, and Bota followed with a pair of quick strikes, the second of which came with 10:31 remaining in regulation, to cut Western New England's deficit to six (11-5).

The Golden Bears were unable to get closer, however, as Cortland locked down on defense before tacking on a pair of late insurance goals.

The Red Dragons held a 21-12 advantage in shots on goal, and a 25-21 edge in ground balls. Both teams converted one extra man opportunity.