WASHINGTON, Pa. -- A slow start hindered the Washington & Jefferson College men's lacrosse team in a 12-7 loss to visiting Juniata College in the home opener for the Presidents Tuesday evening at Alexandre Stadium. 

The Eagles scored all four goals in the opening quarter, which allowed them to play with a lead throughout the night. 

Carter Watts (Gilbertsville, Pa. / Boyertown) played a role in both second quarter goals for W&J. Watts assisted a man-up goal by Aiden Herman (West End, N.C. / Pinecrest) to get the Presidents on the board 15 seconds into the quarter. Watts later scored with 1:20 left in the first off an assist from Zach Mey (Bridgeville, Pa. / South Fayette). The Presidents trailed 5-2 at the break. 

Juniata continued to keep W&J at a distance in the second half. The Eagles outpaced the Presidents by a 3-2 margin in the third to stretch the lead to 8-4. 

W&J scored three-straight goals late in the fourth quarter but the deficit was too much to overcome at that point. Shook tallied a pair of unassisted goals before Herman scored off a feed from Watts with 2:48 to play. Juniata answered 10 seconds later to conclude the scoring. 

Juniata held advantages in shots (43-30) and ground balls (45-37). W&J edged Juniata in face-off wins 12-10. Both teams were 16-of-24 on clears. 

Herman led the Presidents with a team-high three goals. Watts finished with a goal and three assists. 

Henry Beardwood (Wilmington, Del. / Salesianum School) made 19 saves in net for the Presidents. 

Ronin Keane (Medford, Mass. / Arlington Catholic) had a team-best nine ground balls and won six face-off attempts.

Austin Hopkins (Greensburg, Pa. / Hempfield) recorded seven ground balls and a pair of caused turnovers. 

Ayven Johnson (Harrisburg, Pa. / Central Dauphin East) won six-of-nine face-off attempts. 

W&J hosts McDaniel on Saturday, March 9 for a non-conference match at Alexandre Stadium. Start time is set for 1 p.m.