From Tampa Spartans.com TAMPA, Fla. -The No. 6 University of Tampa men’s lacrosse team faced off with No. 4 Lake Erie College Storm Saturday afternoon at the Naimoli Family Athletic Complex and came out on top knocking off the No.4 Storm by a score of 9-7. Lake Erie started the game with a barrage of goals jumping out to an early 4-0 lead to start the contest. Tampa would settle in and lock down the Storm as the Spartans would go on a 5-0 run to take a 5-4 lead into the half. The Second half of play was a back and forth affair as both sides traded scores on several occasions, Tampa’s Jake Schmidt would put the game out of reach as he gave UT a 9-6 lead at the 4:32 mark. The Spartans offense was led by freshman Andrew Kew, who tallied four goals on the day bringing his season total to 25 goals. The difference maker for Tampa’s offensive effort was senior Jake Schmidt, who notched a hat-trick and dished out two assists. Also registering goals for UT were Mike Morris and Zayne Smith with one goal apiece. Defensively, Tampa edged Lake Erie in the battle for groundballs 19-17 and forced six caused turnovers as a team. A.J. Ferraro led the effort in groundballs hauling in four on the day. Senior Ryan Vella turned in an impressive performance scooping up three groundballs and forced three caused turnovers on the day and held Austin Bishop one of the country’s top midfielders scoreless. Also stepping up big on the defensive end was Luke Posner who pulled in three groundballs and forced two caused turnovers. Following the victory, UT improves to 5-1 on the season and 2-1 versus top-5 opponents. The No. 6 Spartans return to action Saturday, March 12, as they host the Colorado Mesa Mavericks at the Naimoli Family Athletic Complex, game time is set for 7 P.M. Live stats, as well as a web broadcast, will be available for fans to follow the action via TampaSpartans.com.