Date: Saturday, February 28, 2009
Contact: Christopher Kilcoyne / Sports Information Director
(804) 752-7387, robertdignazio@rmc.edu

Randolph-Macon Wins in 9-8 Thriller over #15 Denison
(Box Score)

Ashland, VA - Randolph-Macon oustscored Denison University 5-0 in an eighteen-minute span and orchestrated a big defensive stand in the final two minutes of regulation as the Yellow Jackets defeated the fifteenth-ranked Big Red 9-8 on Saturday. Randolph-Macon moves to 1-0 while Denison falls to 1-1.

Denison scored the opening three goals of the game as Emmett Jones, Nate Hall, and Nick Jacobs found the back of the net for the Big Red. The Yellow Jackets registered their first tally of the day when Matt Andes sent a shot past Big Red goalkeeper Dan Wallace with 6:59 remaining in the opening quarter. After DU's Matt Edenbaum received a one-minute penalty, Patrick Egan found Kevin Patton for a man-up tally that pulled R-MC within one goal.

Just as it opened the first quarter, the Big Red opened the second stanza by scoring three consecutive goals. After two DU tallies, Jones' goal with 3:36 remaining in the half gave Denison a 6-2 lead as halftime approached. However, R-MC closed out the final two-and-a-half minutes with a pair of goals. Senior Rich Wilkens responded by feeding freshman Tyler Midwinter, who deposited his first goal on the day. After a Denison penalty with 48 seconds remaining in the second quarter, Wilkens found Egan, who rocketed a shot past the DU goalkeeper for the Yellow Jackets' second man-up tally of the contest. R-MC went to halftime trailing 6-4.

The Yellow Jackets shut out the Big Red 2-0 in the third quarter thanks to two assists by Kevin Patton and strong play in net by R-MC goalkeeper Adam Liberto. Pat Egan netted his second consecutive goal with 11:39 remaining in the third quarter to pull the Yellow Jackets within one goal of the Big Red. Less than three minutes later, Patton found Midwinter, whose goal tied the contest 6-6.

R-MC carried its momentum into the final stanza as Billy Rowe scored the Yellow Jackets' fifth consecutive goal just 1:01 into the fourth quarter. Kevin Patton picked up his third consecutive assist on the play, which gave R-MC its first lead of the game. Denison's Nate Hall tied the contest 2:40 later. Freshman Matt Andes responded by assisting on Tyler Midwinter's third goal of the game and netting one of his own to put the Yellow Jackets ahead 9-7 with 6:37 remaining in regulation. The Big Red pulled within one goal on the ensuing faceoff as Connor Detjen won the draw to himself and fed attackman Brady Burton who sent a shot into the back of the R-MC cage.

With a 9-8 lead late in the fourth quarter, R-MC's defense repelled multiple Denison offensive attacks. A holding penalty with 1:25 remaining in regulation gave the Big Red a thirty-second man-up opportunity. The Yellow Jackets killed the penalty, but Denison retained possession after a failed R-MC clear. However, the Randolph-Macon defense again stood tall in front of Liberto, whose final clearing pass with two seconds remaining sealed the Yellow Jacket victory.

R-MC's Kevin Patton finished the game with one goal and three assists, while freshman Tyler Midwinter tallied three goals. Pat Egan and Matt Andes both registered two goals and an assist. Billy Rowe (one goal) and Rich Wilkens (two assists) rounded out the R-MC scoring. Denison was led by Nate Hall (three goals), Emmett Jones (two goals), and Brady Burton (one goal, one assist).

The Yellow Jackets return to non-conference action on Wednesday when they host Shenandoah at 4:00 pm. R-MC will look to avenge its 9-8 loss to the Hornets last season.

- Yellow Jackets -