LEXINGTON, Va. – Senior goalkeeper Jack Taylor (Baltimore, Md. / Saint Paul's) registered a career-high 19 saves to help lift the Washington and Lee men's lacrosse team to a 12-10 victory over third-ranked Lynchburg on Friday evening at Wilson Field.
 
Taylor posted six saves in the first quarter alone, including four in the opening 4:08 of the contest to hold the Hornets (6-2, 2-1) at bay.  Senior attackman Taylor Witherell (Wilmington, Del. / Salesianum) began the scoring at the 7:41 mark of the first quarter, the first in a five-goal W&L run to open the contest.  Five different players found the goal during the stretch, which also featured a Witherell assist on a goal by senior attackman Stuart Greenspon (Aldie, Va. / Episcopal).
 
Lynchburg ended the rally with a goal by graduate midfielder Brooks Poli at the 1:05 mark and W&L carried a 5-1 lead into the second quarter.
 
The Hornets turned the tables in the second period, however, knotting the game at 6-6 going into the half.  Witherell scored a second goal just 1:26 into the second period, but Lynchburg ended the half with a five-goal run of its own.  The Hornets won all seven faceoffs in the quarter and used the make-it-take-it advantage to score three goals in a span of 47 seconds at one point.
 
W&L (4-2, 3-1) seized the lead back with a goal by senior attackman Austin Hudson (Baltimore, Md. / Gilman) off a Witherell assist at the 9:01 mark of the third period, and Witherell added a goal of his own off a feed from junior midfielder Garrett Mize (Dallas, Texas / St. Mark's) at 5:03 to give the Generals an 8-6 lead.
 
The Hornets sandwiched a pair of goals around a single tally by sophomore midfielder Henry Holliday (Washington, D.C. / St. Albans) to pull within 9-8 with 12:14 left in the game.  However, the Blue & White responded with three straight scores to open an 12-8 lead with 7:40 left to play.  Senior midfielder Ben Mulholland (Sewickley, Pa. / Sewickley Academy), junior midfielder Tommy MacCowatt (New Vernon, N.J. / Delbarton) and Hudson all beat Lynchburg sophomore goalkeeper Patrick Moore to produce the three-goal lead.
 
Graduate attackman Colin Dean assisted on a goal by sophomore midfielder Riley Mitchell and scored himself with 1:18 left to pull Lynchburg with two goals, but the W&L defense and Taylor refused to allow the Hornets to pull even.
 
Lynchburg finished with a 52-32 advantage in shots, a 40-22 edge in ground balls and a 20-6 advantage in faceoffs.
 
Witherell led the W&L offense with three goals and two assists in his first action of the season.  Mulholland and Hudson scored two goals each, while Mize finished with one goal and two assists.  Taylor played all 60 minutes in posting his career-best save total.
 
Dean led the Hornets with three goals and one assist.  Riley Mitchell logged two goals as well.  Moore finished with 10 saves in 60 minutes of action in goal for Lynchburg.
 
The two teams are slated to meet each other again tomorrow on the Hornets' home field.  Opening faceoff is slated for 7:00 pm.