CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Proving they belong among the best in the nation, the Jacksonville University men's lacrosse team clashed with No. 1 Towson in a rainy opener for the Crown Lacrosse Classic Friday afternoon, but the Tigers managed to fend off a fourth-quarter Dolphin rally for a 15-13 decision at the Sportsplex at Matthews.

Facing a five-goal deficit heading into the final 15 minutes, Jacksonville sparked a 6-2 run highlighted by back-to-back goals from sophomore Jack Dolan (14:28) and redshirt-junior Andrew Mitchell off the face off (14:20) just eight seconds apart.

Dolan assisted on two of the Dolphins' next four goals as he found redshirt-junior Evan Tyler at 12:39 and freshman Bo BowHunter with 26 seconds remaining for the final score. Dolan finished with a game-high seven points (3 goals, 4 assists) for 15 points in the last two games.

"I have never been a believer in moral victories, but the passion and effort our team played with today was the best I have seen in my time at Jacksonville, even in adverse conditions. We went toe-to-toe with the number one team in the country and never stopped fighting despite the score," stated head coach John Galloway.

"Jack Dolan had another All-American performance and today we saw the dangerous ability Jeremy Winston can have at midfield. Eric Applegate proved he can be an elite attackman in the country, and I am excited to see him take the next step on Sunday. Andrew Mitchell has worked tirelessly to make improvements in his game, and today that work showed; I thought he was one of the best players on the field tonight."

A senior, Applegate (1g, 1a) combined with Winston (2g, 1a) for five points, while Mitchell matched a team-high with five ground balls and caused one turnover.

A stingy effort by the Dolphin defense held Towson scoreless through the first 6:33 of the game. The Tigers finally found their footing behind a 6-1 run that spanned into the second quarter; however, the Dolphins matched the number 10 offense in the nation goal-for-goal in the second to cut their deficit to three, 8-5, by halftime.

Towson posted the final four goals of the third to extend its lead to 13-8 before the Dolphins' sparked their 6-2 run to close out the game.

Jacksonville finished the game 3-for-5 on extra-man opportunities, including the Dolphins' opening goal from redshirt-junior Hayden La Vangie (4:59) in the first, Winston's first goal of the game off a Dolan assist (8:58) in the third, and BowHunter's final tally in the fourth.

Between the pipes, junior goalie Hunter Sells recorded six saves and picked up two ground balls.

"I could go on and on, but our reality is this: our team has gotten better every single week out, and we plan to keep that streak going against another top-five team in the nation," added Galloway. "I'm proud to be the coach of this team, and can't wait to go to battle with them again on Sunday afternoon."

The Dolphins return to action with a meeting against No. 4 Penn State on Sunday, March 10 at 3:30 p.m.