GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The Westminster men's lacrosse team second straight appearance in the championship game of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament resulted in the same fate as least season as the Griffins fell to Colorado Mesa, 20-7, on Saturday afternoon at Walker Field.
 
Westminster – the tournament's No. 3 seed – couldn't slow the offensive powerhouse of top-seeded Colorado Mesa. The 16th-ranked Mavericks (16-2) went on a 14-1 run, including 10 straight, during a stretch from the first through third quarters.
 
The Griffins struggled to gain possession as they won only eight of the game's 29 faceoffs and committed 20 turnovers. Mesa had a 57-25 edge in shot attempts and held the Griffins to just 15 shots on goal.
 
Seven different players scored in the game for the Griffins with Jacob Taylor and Blake Bruner each adding two assists to their goals. Thomas Sarjeant scored his goal on a team-high four shots. Jake Berard had a goal in his final collegiate game.
 
Westminster went 21 of 23 in clearing chances and had six caused turnovers of the 10 total turnovers by the home team. Neither team scored in extra-man situations with the Griffins going 0 of 3.
 
Troy Vance led the Griffins with two caused turnovers and Conner McFarlane led the way with four ground balls.
 
McFarlane had 14 saves with 17 goals allowed in his 54:34 of action. Kyler Banks made two saves and Sean Edwards had one.
 
Steve Brandenburg led the Mavericks with four goals and Reece Callies had one goal and four assists.
 
The Griffins finish their second season of NCAA Division II play with an 8-7 overall record and a second appearance in the RMAC title game. They had four players named to the RMAC All-Tournament Team in Nick Marcy, Taylor, Sarjeant, and Berard.