FREDERICKSBURG, Va. - After a short trip up I-95, men's lacrosse controlled the contest against Mary Washington from start to finish, where nine different Yellow Jackets found the back of the net.
The Basics
Score: Randolph-Macon 12, Mary Washington 6
Venue: Fredericksburg, Va. // University of Mary Washington // Battleground Turf
Records: Randolph-Macon (4-0, 0-0 ODAC); Mary Washington (1-2, 0-0 Coastal Lacrosse Conference)
How it Happened
- The opening nine minutes of the game saw both teams trading possessions. With 11:20 on the clock, freshman Andrew Bergesen (Olney, Md./Sherwood) converted on the Extra-man Opportunity to open the scoring, giving the Yellow Jackets a 1-0 lead. At the 7:02 mark, Grant Johns (New Freedom, Pa./Susquehannock) scored the second goal of the afternoon, assisted by Peyton Rodriguez (Santa Barbara, Calif./Bishop Garcia Diego). JJ Phillips (Ramsey, N.J./Ramsey) extended the Lemon and Black's lead to three goals when he found the back of the net with help from Charlie Hilgartner (Severna Park, Md./Severn), with 5:21 left in the first quarter. At the 2:20 mark, senior Matt Carter (Glen Allen, Va./Deep Run) found Grant Sobel (Mechanicsville, Va./Christchurch) putting the Yellow Jackets in the lead 4-0. RMC grabbed one final goal from Rodriguez before the end of the quarter, with eight seconds left on the clock, extending their lead to 5-0.
- The Eagles' defense tightened up and held the Lemon and Black scoreless until the 8:45 mark, when Logan Sinsebox (Monkton, Md./Hereford) connected with Carter, adding the sixth goal for RMC. 11 seconds later, freshman defender Owen King (Fallston, Md./Fallston) found the back of the net, assisted by Nick Harrington (Mechanicsville, Va./Hanover), for the seventh goal of the afternoon. At 8:22 left to play in the first half, UMW's Jacob Fowler won the faceoff and Antonio Zeno scooped up the ground ball, passing it right back to Fowler, who buried the ball in the back of the net for the Eagles' first goal. Two minutes later, JT Harvey (Ruther Glen, Va./Riverbend) sliced through the UMW defense and scored unassisted with 6:17 left to play in the half. Mary Washington tallied one final goal to close out the second quarter with 1:42 on the clock. RMC held firm and maintained an 8-2 lead heading into the break.
- The Eagles came out of the break with a newfound spark to open the quarter. UMW's Tanner Boone netted an unassisted goal three minutes into the second half, cutting the Yellow Jacket lead to five. For the next nine minutes, possession of the ball went back and forth. At the 3:24 mark, the Eagles scored their fourth goal of the game on a shot from James Milligan, making the score 8-4. 11 seconds later, sophomore midfielder Will Robertson (Lutherville, Md./Calvert Hall) added his name to the scoresheet, shutting down UMW's two-goal run. With 27 seconds left in the third frame. Sobel and Rodriguez combined for the Yellow Jackets' 10th goal of the contest.
- To start the fourth quarter, the Eagles capitalized on a holding penalty with Boone, cutting the lead to 10-5 with 13:46 on the clock. 10 minutes later, UMW added its sixth and final goal on a shot from Boone. Rodriguez shut the Eagles' run down with just under a minute left to play, extending the lead to 11-6. With 41 seconds left in the game, Johns added his second goal and final goal of the game, lifting the Yellow Jackets over the Eagles 12-6.
Inside the Numbers
- Randolph-Macon outshot Mary Washington 45-26 and 26-to-15 in shots on goal.
- Rodriguez led the Yellow Jackets offensively with four total points on three goals and one assist.
- Johns scored two goals in today's game for two points overall.
- Harvey, King, Phillips, Bergesen, Carter, Sobel and Robertson each recorded one goal in this afternoon's game.
- Brodie Kent (Coquitlam, Canada/Centennial) anchored the defense with five caused turnovers and three ground balls.
- Mike Allen (Williamsburg, Va./Jamestown) picked up a career game-high of 10 ground balls.
- The Lemon and Black held the advantage in ground balls, scooping up 39 to the Eagles' 34.
- RMC held the advantage in transition, going 18-22 (81.8%) in the clear while UMW went 13-18 (72.2%).
For the Record
- Allen's previous game-high for ground balls came on April 24, 2024, against ODAC opponent Bridgewater during his sophomore season.
- Today's game marks the fourth straight game this season that RMC has recorded 40 or more shots.
Up Next
Randolph-Macon heads to Christopher Newport to close out a three-game road stint on Wednesday, February 25, with the first faceoff scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
