BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The Moravian College men's lacrosse team opened its 2017 Landmark Conference season with a 10-5 loss to Elizabethtown College Wednesday on John Makuvek Field as the Greyhounds played their first conference match since 2010.

"They are the top team in the conference, and we were within 9-5 with a shot on a break to make it 9-6 if we put in the goal," stated Head Coach Dave Carty. "We played great in the second half. Our guys kept fighting, we have tough kids and that is what is most important. We're freshman and sophomores and they started 11 seniors."

Sophomore midfielder Alec Oriolo paced the Hounds with a hat trick to go with an assist while sophomore attack Mark Laratta had a goal and two assists. Sophomore attack James Carroll also scored once for Moravian.

Sophomore goalie Kurt Dick made his first start of the season and recorded 13 saves. Freshman long stick midfielder Jimmy Schicke and sophomore midfielder Rick Guerra both had four ground balls for Moravian with Schicke and Carroll both causing three turnovers and Guerra winning 6-of-16 face-offs.

The Blue Jays, who were the runner-up in the conference last season, scored the only two goals of the first quarter for a 2-0 lead. Laratta scored just 49 seconds into the second quarter to cut the deficit to 2-1 before Elizabethtown scored six straight goals to lead 8-1 at the intermission.

Oriolo scored the first two goals of the third quarter, and a tally by Carroll late in the quarter had Moravian down just 9-4 after 45 minutes of action. Oriolo would make it 9-5 just over three minutes into the fourth quarter but Elizabethtown's defense shut down the Hounds the rest of the way.

The Greyhounds are scheduled to return to action on Saturday, March 25 when they host Wilkes University in a non-conference match on John Makuvek Field beginning at 4:00 p.m.