HUNTINGDON, Pa. In their first conference matchup of the season, Juniata's Men's Lacrosse team hosted the Scranton University Royals in their annual Morgan's Message game.
Prior to the start of the match senior captains Kolton Black and Aiden Duran shared the meaning of Morgan's message.
"Juniata Men's Lacrosse would like to dedicate today's game to the life and legacy of Morgan Rodgers," Duran said. "Although Morgan's life was cut way too short, her legacy of unconditional love remains."
"Morgan's message was created by her teammates to eliminate the stigma of mental health and normalize the conversations surrounding it," Black added. "For more information on Morgan's life andl legacy and how you can help those with mental health struggles visit https://www.morgansmessage.org/. As student athletes it is important for us to bring awareness to this topic."
A moment of silence was shared between fans, players, coaches and officials, and then the game was underway.
Scranton took control of the game early and led 14-1 at halftime. Juniata's lone goal in the first half came from junior midfielder Reuben Stoll in the second period on a long unassisted run through the middle of the field. It was his first goal of the season.
Juniata scored one other goal on the day in the fourth period. It came from Black on an assist by junior midfielder Vincent Bechler. Despite a scoreless third period, Scranton controlled the game and did well, limiting the Eagles' chances at goal. The Royals won by a final score of 21-2.
Eagles goalie Ryan Madison totaled 16 saves on the day.
The Eagles fall to 2-7 on the season and 0-1 in conference play. They'll look to bounce back at Wilkes University on Thursday at 7:00 p.m.
