PURCHASE, N.Y. - The Purchase College men's lacrosse team wrapped up the 2019 season with a home loss Saturday afternoon, falling to United States Merchant Marine Academy, 19-6.

With the loss, the Panthers dropped to 6-7 overall and 1-5 in the Skyline Conference. Meanwhile, Merchant Marine improved to 10-4 and 5-1, as the Mariners secured the No. 2 seed in the Skyline playoffs. 

Purchase got the scoring started on the day, as Ben Erkan (SO/Bellport, NY) found the back of the net off a feed from Zach Zarrella (SO/Leominster, MA) just over a minute into the contest. 

But from then on, it was all Merchant Marine.

The guests proceeded to score 12 of the next 13 goals en route to a 12-2 halftime advantage. The lone Panther goal during the time frame came in the second quarter off an individual effort from Zarrella.

In the second half, the Panthers received two goals from Dan Ohrem (JR/Ridgefield, CT) and one apiece from Erkan and Dylan Gethicker (SR/Lime Lake, NY).

Gethicker, playing in his final game, also collected an assist, four ground balls and caused a turnover. Fellow senior Brady Fahy (Rochester, NY) picked up four ground balls and four caused turnovers, while Isaac Aguero (SR/Bronx, NY) had an assist in his final contest. 

The senior trio will certainly be missed on and off the field, and Purchase Athletics wishes the players nothing but the best in their future endeavors. 

For the rest of the Panthers, Joseph Ely (FR/North Salem, NY) picked four ground balls and Matt Sayegh (JR/Hopewell Junction, NY) finished with 15 saves in the loss. 

On the other side, Jack Renard (SR/San Clemente, CA) led all players with seven points (5g, 2a), while Charley Hughes (SR/Baltimore, MD) powered USMMA by going 16-for-16 on face offs with 10 ground balls. 

While the Panthers would have loved to end their season with a win, the 2019 campaign still showed just how much the team has improved in such a short span. After winning just one game back in 2017, its first year as a varsity program, Purchase finished with a program-best six wins this year. The win total also marks the second-straight year the team has improved its win total.