Washington Wins Conference Opener to Run Win Streak to Four Games

WESTMINSTER, MD -- Visiting Washington College rallied from a 7-1 second-quarter deficit and an 8-3 third-quarter deficit to post a 10-9 men's lacrosse victory over home-standing McDaniel in the Centennial Conference opener for both teams this afternoon in Westminster, MD. The Shoremen, who scored seven unanswered goals during the second half, improved to 4-2 overall with their fourth straight victory, while the Green Terror slipped to 4-4 with the loss.

The Green Terror scored three times on extra-man opportunities during the 7-1 start to the contest, building the six-goal advantage on an extra-man goal by Nicholas DiBernardo with 7:38 remaining in the second quarter. The Shoremen were able to get back to within four goals before halftime as freshman attackman Grant Hughes (Alexandria, VA/St. Stephen's & St. Agnes) scored twice, first off an assist from junior midfielder Patrick Coyle (Reisterstown, MD/Calvert Hall) with 5:36 to go in the second quarter and then off a feed from sophomore midfielder Hunter Nowicki (Baltimore, MD/Franklin) with 22 seconds to go before the break.

The Green Terror pushed the magian back to five goals at 8-3 when Michael Woglom opened the third-quarter scoring 1:12 into the second half. The Shoremen then began their seven-goal run, scoring five times before the end of the third quarter to deadlock the score at 8-8 on a goal by Coyle off a Nowicki assist with 4:38 to go. 

Washington took its first lead of the game with 13:12 to play in the fourth quarter when Nowicki found sophomore attackman JD Campbell (Baltimore, MD/Mount St. Joseph) for a goal to put the Shoremen in front, 9-8. Coyle then scored off a Campbell assist with 12:10 left in the period to give Washington a two-goal advantage. The Green Terror got back to within one goal when JS Duke scored off a DJ Rickels assist with 6:27 left, but could not find the equalizer. McDaniel's Ben Yancheski rang a shot off the post with 51 seconds left in the game and a desperation shot by Matt Dupras with one second remaining sailed wide as the Shoremen came away with the win.

Hughes led all scorers with three goals, while Nowicki had a goal and a game-best four assists. Coyle added two goals and two assists, while Campbell had two goals and one assist for Washington. Senior attackman Dominic Serio (Finksburg, MD/Mount St. Joseph) found the back of the net twice in the third quarter, while freshman midfielder Adam Smith (Cockeysville, MD/Loyola Blakefield) chalked up one assist. 

Rickels, Yancheski, and Woglom each scored two goals for the Green Terror; Rickels and Yancheski also had one assist each. Duke had a goal and two assists for McDaniel, while Dupras had a goal and an assist and DiBernardo finished with one goal. Alex Creech also had an assist.

Senior goalie Peter Stewart (Annapolis, MD/St. Mary's) made 10 saves in the win for the Shoremen, who held a 35-32 advantage in shots in the game, including a 22-10 advantage in the second half. Washington won 14 of the game's 23 face-offs, led by freshman midfielder Michael Trapp (White Plains, NY/White Plains), who went 14-for-21, won all four face-offs in the fourth quarter, and scooped up a game-best eight ground balls.

The victory was the Shoremen's 12th in a row over the Green Terror. Three of Washington's last four wins over McDaniel have come by one goal.

The Shoremen return to action Wednesday with a 7:00 p.m. Centennial Conference home game against Haverford.