MOUNT BERRY, Ga. - A beautiful day inside the walls of Valhalla saw the Vikings fall to the Rhodes Lynx in their conference opener by a final score of 18-10. 

The Vikings fell behind 4-0 in the first quarter, as they struggled to maintain productive possession. Michael Beirne cracked open the egg on the scoreboard for Berry as Tad Zappa dished to him for the first goal of the quarter, giving the good guys momentum heading into the second period. 

The second quarter saw Rhodes strike first, before Finn McCLendon scorched the back of the net, courtesy of an Owen Morini pass, leaving the score at 5-2 with 11:17 left in the second quarter. The Lynx added three more goals, as they seized control heading into halftime. 

The Vikings came into the second half with a renewed sense of confidence. Despite giving up the first goal of the second half, the Vikings scored three out of four goals, courtesy of the sticks of Beirne, Morini, and Davis Witherspoon, making it a 10-5 ball game with 2:02 left in the third quarter.  

Despite the impressive spurt, Rhodes responded with 2 goals, and Berry still faced a 12-5 deficit heading into the final frame.  

Refusing to give up, Finn McClendon added to his goal tally to cut the lead to 6 with 13 minutes to play. Goals from Boston Juliao and Morini fueled the fourth quarter scoring, but a 6-goal fourth quarter from Rhodes put it out of reach, leaving Berry with an 18-9 loss. 

The Vikings are back in business on March 25 at home against Oglethorpe.