The Muhlenberg men's lacrosse team played stingy defense in an 8-2 defeat of Emerson in Nashville.

The Mules (5-2) did not allow a shot until the second quarter and did not permit a goal until the fourth quarter. Since the program's reinstatement in 2003, they had held an opponent scoreless through the first three quarters only once before - in a 14-2 win against Moravian in 2009.

Muhlenberg got all the offense it would need in the first quarter, with five different players - senior Alan Stoloff, graduate student Ethan Grossman, senior Jason Metz, junior Wyatt Malia and senior Jack Kraemer - scoring goals. The Mules had a 22-0 advantage in shots in the first quarter, with the defense forcing nine turnovers and breaking up five of eight clearing attempts.

The Lions (3-5) finally took their first shot with 11:27 left in the first half and did not put a shot on goal until 3:00 was left in the half.

Stoloff and Malia added second-half goals, as did sophomore Andrew Sellitto. Muhlenberg finished with a 59-21 edge in shots.

Sophomore Griffin Minuto went 8-for-11 on faceoffs, picking up 8 ground balls. Junior Matthew Regan (pictured above) led the defense with 5 ground balls,

The game was the final tuneup for the Mules before beginning Centennial Conference play against seventh-ranked Dickinson next Saturday.