ROCK ISLAND -- Brenson Brown's goal with around a minute left to play proved to be the difference maker as the Augustana Vikings men's lacrosse team fended off a comeback from the visiting Alma Scots to win by a final of 13-12 at Thorson-Lucken Field.

The visiting Scots jumped out to the early advantage on Saturday, grabbing a 3-1 lead through the first 20 minutes of action. Carson Ghys brought the Vikings closer with his score halfway through the second quarter, jump-starting a 6-0 scoring run for Augustana. Ghys accounted for three goals in the surge, with Elijah Graesser and Brown tallying the other two. Trevor Herman capped off the 6-0 spurt, taking a ground ball off of his own faceoff win and sending into the back of the net. The Scots notched a point at 2:19 in the frame to make it a 7-4 halftime lead in favor of the Vikings.

The first four goals of the third period belonged to the Vikings as they stretched their advantage out to seven. Three of the four scores came from Brady Holtz, with Graesser nabbing the other. Alma answered with a 4-1 run to close the quarter, but Augie's plus-one advantage through the 15 minutes gave them a 12-8 lead heading into the final quarter.

Alma cut the margin in half with two goals in the first five minutes of the fourth, following it up with two more over the span of the next five to even the score at 12 points apiece. The two teams traded empty possessions on offense, highlighted by their defensive play, before Brown's score goal put the Vikings ahead 13-12. Time ran out as Augustana halted one final Alma attempt to find the equalizer.

Ghys, Graesser, and Holtz all posted three-goal efforts to lead the Vikings on offense, while Jack Connolly joined Ghys and Graesser with two assists each. Herman finished 23-28 on faceoff attempts, also leading the team in ground balls with 16. Tommy Kopman and Paul Huber contributed two caused turnovers on defense, while Erik Singdahlsen earned the win in goal, finishing with nine saves.

With the win, Augie improves to 4-3 on the year. The team will hit the road for the next contest on Tuesday, March 28 when they take on Sewanee in Tennessee. Start time is scheduled for 7 pm.