The Fairfield University men's lacrosse team rallied from a pair of two-goal first-half deficits to build a 6-5 lead during the fourth quarter, but gave up the game-tying goal with 2:50 to play in regulation and fell 7-6 in overtime to ECAC Lacrosse League host  and 20^th ranked Loyola University Maryland. The defeat drops the Stags to 5-5 overall and 2-2 in ECAC play, while the Greyhounds improve 6-3 on the season and 3-2 in conference play.

Charlie Cipriano played well in net again for the Stags, making a season-best 16 saves, including nine in the second-half, but was unable to stop D.J. Comer's shot 49 seconds into the extra period. It marks the eighth time this season that Cipriano has held an opponent to a single-digit goal total. Jake Hagelin made 10 total saves, six in the second-half, to earn the win in net for the Greyhounds.

Loyola wasted little time getting on the board as Davis Butts put home the games first goal just 80 seconds into the contest. Mike Sawyer scored 65 seconds later and the Greyhounds were off to the largest lead of the game, 2-0. John Snellman got Fairfield on the board with 12 seconds remaining in the first period, scoring a pass from Max Trunz. Loyola pushed the advantage back to two, 3-1, on a Matt Langan goal just under five minutes into the second quarter, but Brent Adams answered with an unassisted goal 57 seconds later to make the score 3-2. 

The margin would remain one goal into the third quarter when Sam Snow fed Matt Plominski for a man-up goal to tie the game, 3-3. Rookie Jordan Greenfield gave the Stags their first lead of the game, 4-3, with an unassisted tally midway through the period.  That lead lasted just over three minutes when until Langan touched net for the second time to knot the score 4-4. Comer scored 64 seconds later, his first of the game, to give Loyola a 5-4 edge heading into the final quarter.

Snow struck first for the Stags in the fourth period, with an unassisted goal at the 11:28 mark to tie the game 5-5. Neither team scored again for nearly seven minutes when Greenfield fed Trunz for a man-up goal to put Fairfield ahead 6-5. Chris Palmer would tally the equalizer for the Greyhounds with 2:50 to play and force the extra period.

The Stags received a goal from six different players on the afternoon, with Greenfield and Trunz also handing out an assist. Clay Wells led the team on the defensive end with three caused turnovers as well as picking up a team-high three ground balls. Marshall Johnson was 6-12 at the face-off X on the afternoon and picked up two ground balls.

Sawyer finished as the game's leading scorer with a goal and two assists, to go along with three ground balls. Langan and Comer both struck twice, while Palmer had a goal and an assist. John Schiavone won 10-17 face-offs on the day and picked up a game-high eight ground balls.

Fairfield was 2-2 in its man-up situations on offense and once again proved perfect in man-down situations, not giving up a goal in three oppurtunities. Fairfield was outshot 38-24 and Loyola had a 33-22 ground ball edge in the game. The Stags cleared the ball 17-20, with Loyola going 18-22. Fairfield committed 16 turnovers, to the 11 of Loyola.

The Stags play twice in the coming week as they wrap-up the non-conference portion of their 2011 schedule. Fairfield will play at Hartford on Tuesday at 4 p.m. before hosting Hofstra at 1 p.m. on Saturday in the final home game of the season for the Stags.