INDIANAPOLIS – UIndy men's lacrosse turned in a winning effort in Saturday's defensive struggle against visiting Walsh University, outlasting the Cavaliers 7-4 under near-perfect conditions at Key Stadium.

The win is the fourth in a row for the Greyhounds, who advance to 6-3 overall after a 0-2 start to the season. The visiting Cavs fall to 1-9 with the loss.

For the second consecutive game the Hounds held their opponent to just four goals, improving their scoring defense which ranked third in Division II entering the weekend.

The visitors were the first on the board, however, taking advantage of an early UIndy penalty to net a man-up goal less than four minutes in.

But the Greyhounds – namely freshman Parker Johnson – responded with five unanswered before the halftime horn sounded.

Johnson leveled the score at 1-1 off a feed from sophomore Matthew Johnson just under the seven-minute mark, and slung home his second less than three minutes later from sophomore Tyler Johnston's assist.

The UIndy rookie continued to get into opportune position, and, five minutes into the second quarter, Matthew Johnson found him again close to the net for an easy hat trick goal.

When asked about his early goals, Johnson said, "I'm not having to create my own shots because my teammates have done a great job of finding me when I'm open. I just have to finish it.

"(Tyler and Matthew) know where I am all the time, they could pass to me with their eyes closed. So it's just up to me to find the right spot."

A few possessions later Johnston added his first tally of the game on an unassisted score. He promptly found the back of the net again minutes later from nearly 12 yards out on a Scott LaPoe assist, making it 5-1 at the half.

The third quarter was an eventful 15 minutes, as the Greyhounds accumulated seven penalties as a team, surrendering a 2-1 goal differential to the Cavs.

UIndy opened the second half with junior Sam Horning's first goal of the afternoon, getting an assist from sophomore Shawn Kimble. Horning was able to sneak the ball past a diving Walsh goalie, who was scrambling back to the crease after helping apply pressure away from the net.

The Cavaliers answered with two man-up goals against one of the nation's best man-down defenses. Walsh junior Benjamin Suchomma's score made it 6-2, and Crim added his second goal against a four-man UIndy defense near the six-minute mark to bring it to 6-3.

After more than 10 scoreless minutes in the final quarter, Walsh's Ryan Martin scored the visitors' first even-strength goal of the game, making it 6-4.

UIndy's Cyle Moskowitz won the ensuing face-off, allowing the Hounds to salt away some time.

Once Walsh recovered possession, Greyhound keeper Jarod Kimble came up with two huge saves before freshman Ian Genord caused a turnover, stifling the Cavs' late efforts.

Horning added an insurance goal with less than 60 seconds on the clock, effectively ending Walsh's comeback bid.

Several defensive players stepped up for the Hounds Saturday. Sophomore Connor Swanger put together perhaps his best game, tying the program record with seven caused turnovers while adding three ground balls.

Genord finished with career-highs in ground balls (nine) and caused turnovers (five), while junior Jake Wittmeyer added five ground balls and three caused turnovers. Fellow junior Max Groves had four ground balls and a pair of caused turnovers.

Jarod Kimble finished with 11 saves, recording a 73.3% save percentage.

As a unit, the Greyhound defense held Walsh's leading scorers – Crim and Alex Hudgens – to two goals on 13 combined shots.

"We definitely had a good scout today," Johnson noted. "Our defense locked down (Crim), and our coaches did a great job preparing us, as well. Plus, having (Jarod) in goal is a huge confidence booster for us."

Moskowitz set a personal-best by winning 11 of 15 face-offs Saturday, corralling four ground balls along the way.

UIndy hits the road for its next two contests, aiming to pull off a pair of upset wins. The Hounds meet fourth-ranked Mercyhurst (6-1) Apr. 15 at 1 p.m. in Erie, Pa., before facing 10th-ranked Seton Hill Apr. 22 at 1 p.m. in Greensburg, Pa.