Lack of depth caused the Arizona men's club lacrosse team to lose its first game of the season 13-6 to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on March 11.

RPI (1-0) suited up 33 players while the Laxcats had just 15.

Arizona (6-1 overall, 5-0 in the Western Collegiate Lacrosse League) got behind early in the first period, trailing 2-0. But the Laxcats roared back and took over in the second period, outscoring RPI 5-1 to take the 5-3 lead into halftime.

Arizona's lack of depth proved to be costly in the second half, as they were outscored 10-1.

"We lost some of the excitement and had a horrible third period," Arizona head coach Mickey-Miles Felton said.

The Laxcats were also winded and suffered from the unseasonably warm weather, Felton said.

Arizona was not able to substitute players as frequently as RPI was able to, and this led to frustration and points scored by the opposition.

The Laxcats also lost on faceoffs, and that gave RPI possession of the ball and opportunities to score.

The fourth period showed a tired Arizona team that was forced to play against fresh RPI players. RPI scored six-straight goals, as Arizona was shut out in the period.

"This game showed some of our weaknesses. We are very inexperienced in defense. We have been getting away with murder," Felton said.

Senior goalie Justin Nels made 26 saves for the Laxcats.

"We had ten seniors on the team, and they stepped up, and our numbers helped in this win," RPI head coach Jim Townsend said.

Arizona fared better two days before against Loyola Marymount.

The Laxcats were dominant over the Lions in a decisive 18-6 win.

Junior Josh Sfara exploded with a season-high eight goals and added four assists.

"Their defense was bad. They overcommitted, giving us good looks," Sfara said. "Their goalie wasn't that good."

"This was an important win in that it was a division game, and we didn't want to lose what we gained against Chapman to a lesser team," Felton said. "Games like this tend to relax the players, and the intensity is lower."

"A lot of these guys are inexperienced and are still learning," said Nels who made 16 saves against the Lions. "I take full responsibility for all goals that are scored against me."