MARIETTA, Ga. - A decisive seven-goal second quarter proved to be the difference as Life (Ga.) handed Lawrence Tech a 15-8 defeat on Thursday night in Marietta, Georgia.

Tied 2-2 after the first quarter, the Blue Devils were hit by a sustained Life run that flipped the game for good. Life outscored Lawrence Tech 7-2 in the second quarter to build a 9-4 halftime lead, then added five more goals across the third and fourth to stay comfortably in front. The loss dropped Lawrence Tech despite a balanced offensive effort that saw the Blue Devils score two goals in every quarter.

Lawrence Tech opened the game with the first goal and answered late in the first quarter when Trevor Donohue scored off a feed from Luke Gannon to send the teams to the break even at 2-2. Life seized control early in the second, however, behind back-to-back goals from Jared Cordova, including a power-play strike, followed by tallies from Eric Manfredonia and Christofer Tyson as the hosts surged ahead 6-2. The Blue Devils briefly steadied the momentum with goals from Brendan Shinavier and Parker Gannon, the latter again assisted by Luke Gannon, cutting the deficit to 7-4 before Life netted two more in the final minute of the half to push the margin back to five.

The third quarter followed a similar pattern, with Life scoring the first three goals out of the locker room to extend the advantage to 12-4. Lawrence Tech continued to battle, as Gannon finished off a setup from Parker Gannon and Sam Provenzano followed with a goal assisted by Dylan Porter to pull the Blue Devils within 12-6. Life answered with two more strikes late in the frame, including Cordova's fourth of the night, to make it 14-6 heading to the fourth.

Lawrence Tech outscored Life 2-1 in the final quarter but could not chip far enough into the deficit. Donohue scored early in the fourth to trim the margin and Gannon added a man-up goal with six minutes remaining to bring the Blue Devils within six at 14-8. Life closed the scoring with 2:39 to play, and the 15-8 score line held the rest of the way.

Gannon led Lawrence Tech with two goals and two assists for a four-point night, factoring into half of the Blue Devils' offense. Donohue also recorded a two-goal performance on six shots, while Shinavier, Parker Gannon, Provenzano and one team goal rounded out the scoring. Lawrence Tech finished with eight goals on 25 shots, putting 16 attempts on frame, and converted one power-play opportunity.

Possession proved to be a major factor as Life controlled the faceoff X for much of the evening. The hosts won 20 of 27 draws, with Tyson taking 18 of those, helping Life generate 48 shots to Lawrence Tech's 25 and a 37-23 edge in ground balls. In goal, the Blue Devils' netminder made nine saves against 15 goals, matching Life's save total on the other end. Both teams finished with 24 turnovers, but Life's advantage in faceoffs and shot volume ultimately created too much pressure for Lawrence Tech to overcome.

With the setback on the road, Lawrence Tech leaves Marietta with valuable early-season experience against a high-possession opponent and will look to build on the offensive contributions from Gannon, Donohue and the supporting cast as the schedule continues.