VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – The nationally-ranked Hampden-Sydney College lacrosse team played its second game on the road in as many days and came away with wins in both after a 25-14 win over Virginia Wesleyan University on Wednesday evening in Virginia Beach. The win improved the No. 15/16 Tigers to 11-1 overall and 8-0 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) while the Marlins fall to 1-5 overall and 1-3 in the ODAC.
Junior Sean Duffy/Ambler, PA got things started for the Tigers just 49 seconds in the game with an unassisted goal. However, VWU would trade the next four goals with senior Garrett Patnesky/Raleigh, NC taking a pass from classmate Jared Medwar/Apex, NC at 12:08 before Medwar scored an unassisted goal at 11:12 to give the Tigers a 3-2 lead. Senior Jake O'Brien/Scituate, MA pushed the lead to two goals for H-SC with an unassisted goal at 10:40 left in the first. But the Marlins pulled back within one before the Tigers went on a 6-2 run to close out the first quarter. Medwar, junior Henry Hitt/Annapolis, MD, senior Reilly French/Frederick, MD and O'Brien all scored during the stretch with the Tigers having a 10-5 lead after one.
H-SC extended the scoring run into the second quarter with both O'Brien and senior Charlie Doetzer/Holly Springs, NC both finding the back of the cage. The lone VWU goal ended the run at 7:44 left in the period, but Duffy scored his second goal of the game to stretch the lead back to seven at the break, 13-6.
Duffy started off a string of six-straight goals for the Tigers to open the second half of play. Patnesky, Doetzer, Medwar and junior Bobby Clagett/Brandywine, MD all fired shots passed the Marlins goalie to extend the H-SC lead to 13 at 19-6. After a Marlins score, Clagett and freshman Patrick Saunders/Alexandria put points on the board for the Tigers in the third.
In the fourth quarter, H-SC scored four of the final six goals with junior Logan Mitchell/Mt. Pleasant, SC (6:23), junior Andrew Shanley/Leesburg (3:50), sophomore Nick Thompson/Midlothian (1:45) and senior Harry D'Agostino/Massillon, OH (00:30) all provided goals for the Tigers with the final margin at 25-14.
Medwar, Duffy, and O'Brien each scored four goals with 13 different Tigers finding the back of the cage. French and Medwar each had three assists for H-SC. The 25 goals, 74 shots (including 44 on goal), 15 caused turnovers, 56 ground balls, and 30 clears were all season-highs for the Tigers.
H-SC wraps up the regular season on Saturday, May 1 when they travel to No. 4 nationally-ranked the University of Lynchburg with ODAC Tournament seeding implications on the line. Game time with the Hornets is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Lynchburg.
