LYNCHBURG, Va. - Men's Lacrosse fell short in Lynchburg, Virginia, on Saturday night against the #3-ranked Hornets. Defense highlighted the second half after fifteen goals were scored in the first 30 minutes of play.
The Basics
Score: #3 Lynchburg 14, #19 Randolph-Macon 10
Venue: Lynchburg, Va. // University of Lynchburg // Shellenberger Field
Records: Randolph-Macon (10-3, 4-2 ODAC); #3 Lynchburg (10-1, 5-0 ODAC)
How it Happened
- Lynchburg opened the scoring at the 13:46 mark in the first quarter on an unassisted goal by Riley Hastings. The Hornets recorded the next two goals at the 9:56 mark and 7:40 mark. The Yellow Jackets found an answer to the Lynchburg three-goal run on a goal from Grant Sobel (Mechanicsville, Va./Christchurch) to cut the deficit to two. Each team's defense tightened up and the next goal did not come until 1:42 on the clock when the Hornets extended their lead back to three. With 28 seconds left in the first 15 minutes of play, Andrew Bergesen (Olney, Md./Sherwood) weaved through a swarm of Hornets and tallied RMC's second goal of the night, making the score 4-2 heading into the second quarter of play.
- Hastings struck once again for the Hornets a little over two minutes into the second frame, pushing the score to 5-2. The Hornets added another one minute later, extending their lead to four. Senior goalie Jack Isaacs (Coquitlam, Canada/Centennial) made two saves to keep the Yellow Jackets within four. Liam Holman struck with exactly five minutes left in the first half, moving the score to 7-2 in favor of Lynchburg. 15 seconds later, Bergesen added his second of the game, assisted by Owen King (Fallston, Md./Fallston), closing the gap to four. Hunter Drake (Richmond, Va./Deep Run) threaded a pass to Logan Sinsebox (Monkton, Md./Hereford) for the Yellow Jackets' fourth goal of the night with 3:29 remaining in the half. The Hornets rattled off a four-goal run starting at 2:55 on the clock to close out the first half and take an 11-4 advantage into the break.
- Randolph-Macon's defense hunkered down to start the second half while the offense went on the attack, sending a barrage of shots on net. At the 10:13 mark, Sobel fed Peyton Rodriguez (Santa Barbara, Calif./Bishop Garcia Diego), who broke through the Hornets' defense, putting the Yellow Jackets within six. The next five minutes turned into a defensive affair with the Yellow Jackets causing three turnovers, two by Mike Allen (Williamsburg, Va./Jamestown) and one from Liam Whittle (Glenwood, Md/ McDonough). At the 5:08 mark, Lynchburg continued to keep the game just out of the reach of the Yellow Jackets, tallying its 12th goal of the night. The Yellow Jackets' defense continued to highlight the second half, holding the Hornets to three shots for the remainder of the quarter. With 41 seconds left in the third frame, Charlie Hilgartner (Severna Park, Md./Severn) buried an unassisted goal to make the score 6-12, closing out the third quarter.
- The Yellow Jackets came into the final 15 minutes of regulation, testing Lynchburg keeper Eric Allen. The Hornets in transition added their 13th goal, breaking through the Lemon and Black ride. The Yellow Jackets continued to press the attack on offense, outshooting Lynchburg 9-2. At the 4:58 mark, Rodriguez added his second goal of the night on a dodge down the right-hand alley. One minute and 40 seconds later, Sinsebox picked up a ground ball on a shot from Rodriguez, then faked out the keeper to find the back of the net, making the score 13-8. Two minutes later, Sinsebox sent a behind-the-back feed to Sobel, who buried a low-to-high shot into the top right of the net to cut the lead to four. Hastings found the back of the net one final time with 30 seconds left in the game. The Lemon and Black added one final goal with 20 seconds left in the game on a shot from Charlie Violette (Norfolk, Va./Norfolk Academy) on a feed from Sobel to make the score 10-14. The Hornets controlled the faceoff and ran out the clock to close out the game.
Inside the Numbers
- Sobel led the Yellow Jackets' offense with four points overall on two goals and two assists.
- Sinsebox tallied three points on two goals and one assist.
- Bergesen and Rodriguez each tallied two goals in the contest.
- The Yellow Jackets outshot the Hornets 44-38 overall and 20-to-19 in shots on goal.
- At the faceoff x, Lynchburg went 21-27 (.777) and RMC went 6-27 (.222).
- In the ground ball department, the Hornets scooped up 47 to the Lemon and Black's 32. Allen led the Yellow Jackets, picking up seven ground balls.
- Bergesen and Will Robertson (Lutherville, Md./Calvert Hall) scooped up four ground balls each.
- Seniors Brodie Kent (Coquitlam, Canada/Centennial) and Allen each caused three turnovers this evening.
- Robertson and Whittle each caused two turnovers in the contest.
Up Next
Men's Lacrosse hits the road once again when they are set to take on Virginia Wesleyan on Wednesday, April 15, at 6:30 p.m.
