QUINCY, Ill. – The Colorado State University Pueblo men's lacrosse team completed its seven-game road swing to open the 2023 season here Monday evening by being outscored 9-3 in the second half en route to falling 13-8 to Quincy University in an in-region contest at QU Stadium.

The Thunderwolves, who fell to 0-7 on the season with the setback, have played their first seven games this season on the road and will open its home schedule on Saturday, April 1 with a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference game against Adams State at 2 p.m. Quincy improved to 7-4 with the win.

CSU Pueblo's 0-7 start this season is the worst for the Pack since the inaugural team in 2015 finished its first season with an 0-11 record. The Pack have also lost eight straight games dating to last season's 17-10 loss to Colorado Mesa in the RMAC Tournament.

Despite its struggles early in the season, the Pack held a 5-4 lead at the half and that marked the first time this season that the ThunderWolves held a halftime lead. The score was tied 4-4 at the half in the season opener at Tusculum.

In Monday's game, the Pack scored a season high tying eight goals, took a season high 39 shots and put a season high 20 of those shots on goal with senior midfielder Ian Noonan (Wilmington, Del./University of Tampa) taking nine of those shots, while senior attacker Logan Naves ((Highlands Ranch, Colo./Highlands Ranch) had seven shots junior midfielder CJ Rowe (Indianapolis, Ind./Concordia-Chicago) added five shots. Noonan and Rowe also scored four of the Pack's eight goals.

Along with Noonan and Rowe, Naves, freshman midfielder Chris Easley (Southington, Conn./Weber), freshman midfielder Lane Lessley (Lakewood, Colo./Lakewood) and junior midfielder Kevin Gallagher (Castle Rock, Colo./Castle View) each had one goal in the game.

QU got on the scoreboard first as Donald Griffith scored an unassisted goal just 62 seconds into the game. The lead, though, was short-lived as Gallagher scored an unassisted goal with 11:36 left in the opening period to tie the game at 1-all.

About 38 seconds after Gallagher's goal, Noonan would score his first goal of the game off an assist by Easley to take a 2-1 lead.

That would be how the first quarter would end with CSU Pueblo holding a 2-1 lead.

In the second period, Gage Evans scored a goal just two-plus minutes into the period to tie the game at 2-all, but goals by Naves and Rowe would give the Pack a 4-2 lead with 9:11 left in the second period.

Griffith and Blaine Lowrance would add goals for the Hawks over a span of two-plus in the middle for the second period to retie the game at 4 apiece.

Rowe, though, would give the Pack its halftime lead thanks to his second goal of the game with two minutes left in the period. Those two goals by Rowe were his first two of the season.

Holding a 5-4 edge at the half, the Pack would be shutout in the third, 7-0, by QU as the Hawks took a commanding 11-5 heading into the final period.

Three straight goals by Lessley, Noonan and Easley to open the fourth period brought the Pack within 11-8 with a little under five minutes left in the game.

But on the ensuing faceoff, QU's Mason Marano would won the faceoff and Jayme Brain scored a goal with 3:58 left to give the Hawks a four goal cushion at 12-8. A little more than a minute later following a turnover by the Pack, QU completed the game's scoring with a goal by Christian Czarny off an assist from Brain.

Griffith and Brain each scored three goals for QU, while Czarny and Neal Dardis each had two goals in the win. Brain also added two assists for the Hawks.

The Pack lost the ground ball battle, 31-23 as senior midfielder Turner Dirk (Strathmore, Alberta/Holy Trinity Academy) picked up six ground balls in the game, while freshman defender Alex Kragen (Pleasanton, Calif./Amador Valley) and sophomore midfielder Luke Mummert (Albuquerque, N.M./Albuquerque) each had three ground balls.

QU held a 17-8 edge in face-offs and forced the Pack into 19 turnovers, while the Hawks had 17 turnovers.

Both teams were a combined 0-for-5 on their extra-man chances and CSU Pueblo was 25-for-27 on clear and QU was 28-for-29.

In goal, graduate student Ethan Ferrie (Littleton, Colo./Arapahoe) played all 60 minutes and recorded 15 saves and allowed 13 goals. Ferrie, who was named this week's RMAC Defensive Player of Week, has recorded 39 saves over his last two games, including collecting a school record 24 saves just two days ago in the Pack's 12-5 loss at Maryville (Mo.).

Ryan Riggs played the entire goal in the cage for the Hawks and he had 12 saves, while allowing eight goals and recording two ground balls and causing one turnover.