Arlington, Va. – The Marymount men's lacrosse team opened its 2015 campaign in the bitter cold on Wednesday night, battling Catholic to the last goal in the twilight tilt.  The Saints found themselves on the wrong end of an 8-7 decision when the snow cleared and all was said and done.

Marymount falls to 0-1 on the season with the opening loss – its first loss to Catholic since 2012.

Nathan Hupp opened his junior season with a hat trick, knocking in the Saints' third goal of the game with just 1:40 remaining in the first quarter.

Senior Jimmy Wendell notched a pair, while classmate Nico Burns added one goal to round out the attack.

Marymount jumped out to an early lead in the first, snatching a 3-1 advantage thanks to goals from Hupp, Wendell, and Kellan McCarthy.

The Saints failed to find the back of the net in the second quarter, but saw their lead dissipate within a sixty-second span.  Catholic notched back-to-back strikes in the first five minutes of the frame to knot the score at 3-3.

The third quarter again saw the Cardinals outscore Marymount, punching in three tallies to the Saints' pair.  Hupp cut the deficit to one with a strike at the 2:59 mark – edging the Saints closer, 6-5.

Unfortunately, however, the final frame proved a lot like those preceding it.  Catholic struck first with a short range toss, retaking the two-goal advantage, 7-5, with 10:35 left to play.

Hupp secured his hat trick with a blast at the 9:05 mark – cutting the Marymount deficit to one, 7-6.  Unfortunately, the Cardinals countered with their final score with 3:36 on the clock – an insurance goal that would prove the Saints' ultimate undoing.

Wendell split the pipes with a beam with just 37 seconds remaining, but Marymount saw the lingering seconds melt furiously off the clock.  No time remained for any further revolt.

Junior netminder Mike Kempel takes the decision, falling to 0-1 on the season after collecting 12 saves on the night.

Marymount returns to action on Wednesday when it travels to Gwynedd-Mercy for a nonconference bout.  Start time is slated for 4 p.m.