The Muhlenberg men's lacrosse team fell just short in a fourth-quarter comeback attempt and fell at Scranton, 9-8.

After the Royals (1-1) scored with 8:58 remaining to open up a 9-6 lead, the Mules (0-2) allowed only one shot the rest of the game.

Sophomore Luc Belvill put in a man-up goal with 6:47 on the clock to cut the gap to two, and sophomore Aidan Fairweather made it a one-goal game with 4:51 left. Muhlenberg had four more possessions but could not find the equalizer.

The Mules' two losses to open the season are both on the road by a combined three goals to two teams that played in the NCAA Tournament last year.

Neither team led by more than two goals for the first three quarters of the closely contested game. 

Fairweather (pictured above) gave the Mules a 1-0 lead less than a minute and a half into the game and finished with four goals - one in each quarter and just one fewer than he scored all last season. 

Muhlenberg ran off the first three tallies of the second quarter, with goals by juniors Flynn Decker and Charlie Falk sandwiched around one by Fairweather, to take a 4-2 lead. Scranton scored four of the next five, however, to enter the final period with a 7-5 advantage.

Freshman Parker Kusko opened the scoring in the fourth with his first career goal.

Senior Jace Riley Day stopped more than 60 percent of the shots he faced for the second straight game, finishing with 14 saves.