LA PLUME, Pa. – The Cairn University men's lacrosse team opened up Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) play with a 9-8 victory on the road at Keystone College on Wednesday evening.
 
Keystone (0-8, 0-1 CSAC) gained the early edge with three goals in the opening quarter, and led Cairn (3-5, 1-0 CSAC) 3-2 after one. The Highlanders regained the advantage after notching three tallies in the second period, and held a narrow 5-4 lead at halftime. Cairn got the insurance it needed coming out of the break, as junior Jonathan Balsamo (Long Island, NY / Eastport South Manor) scored back-to-back goals to open the period, before freshman Tyler Orozco (Edgemere, MD / FCA) closed the frame with a goal of his own. Cairn held a firm 9-5 lead midway through the fourth quarter, before Keystone made its run, scoring three goals in the next five minutes to cut the deficit to one (9-8). However, the Cairn defense regrouped, and sophomore Nico Cione (Yardley, PA / Pennsbury) made a pair of saves down the stretch to help hold off Keystone.
 
Balsamo led the scoring output for Cairn with a game-high five goals to pair with one assists. Freshman Cole Heffler (Eldersburg, MD / Central Maryland Christian) added two tallies and three assists, while Orozco and junior Charles Cotton (Newburgh, NY / Newburgh Free Academy) each posted a goal and an assist. Cione collected a season-high 25 saves between the pipes, and scooped up a team-high 10 ground balls. Sophomore Qion Roycroft (Baltimore, MD / Woodlawn) added five ground balls and matched Balsamo with a team-high three caused turnovers.
 
The Highlanders finish their three-game road trip on Saturday, April 15 when they travel to Bryn Athyn College for a conference matchup at 1 p.m.