YORK, Pa. – The seventh-ranked Washington and Lee men's lacrosse team was held to just two goals over the final 23:45 of action in a 16-15, season-opening loss at No. 14 York (Pa.) on Saturday afternoon.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
After allowing the first score just 22 seconds in, W&L's (0-1)
Colin Beatty had a response 17 seconds later to kickstart a 4-1 run, which was helped by two goals from junior
Hillis Burns. Over the next nine minutes, the Spartans (1-1) went on a 6-2 run to flip the game back in their favor by two goals.
The Generals' next response was a strong mix of offense and defense, as the Blue and White went on a 14-minute long, 4-0 run into the third quarter to regain a two-goal lead. A pair of goals from sophomore
James Haley and a third of the game for senior
Alex Brown helped the Generals maintain a 13-10 advantage at the 8:45 mark, but the Spartans then ended the third with four straight scores to take a one-goal lead.
Senior
Sam Mannino equalized for the Blue and White with 12:49 left in regulation, but York's Davis Fisher and Jack Grayson found the back of the net once each over the next eight minutes for a two-goal Spartan lead. Mannino scored once more with seven seconds remaining, his third goal of the game, but there was not enough time remaining to find a 16th team goal as the Spartans held on.
TOP PERFORMERS:
Burns led the Generals' offensive efforts with seven points on four goals and three assists, followed by four points each from Brown and Mannino, who both scored three times and had one assist. Junior
Joey Allen assisted on two goals to finish tied with Haley at two points to round out the multi-point Generals.
In his collegiate debut, first-year
Tyler Spano performed strongly on face-offs, as he won 15-of-28 and picked up a game-high 15 ground balls. Sophomore
Chris Datz came in next with four ground balls and a caused turnover, while Beatty, senior
Jed Heald and junior
Riley Albregts each had two ground balls and one caused turnover.
Jackson Shields was the top scorer on the day for the Green and White, as he tallied five points, all on goals. Fisher matched Shields' five points with one score and four assists, while Grayson and Will Harnick each recorded three points on three goals. Vinny Facciponti took all of York's face-offs, and he won 17-of-34 for the game, plus 13 ground balls. Defensively, Shields added four ground balls and two caused turnovers, and Brent Blackmon also had multiple ground balls (2) and caused turnovers (2).
In goal, W&L senior
Ryan Aljader faced 28 shots on target and made 12 saves in 59:46 of action. Jack Keller covered all 60 minutes between the pipes for the Spartans and tallied nine saves.
NOTEWORTHY POINTS:
Brown's four points helped him cross the century mark for his career. He now has 101 points to his credit in 43 games, which have come on 83 goals and 18 assists.
The 16-15 final score between the Generals and Spartans marks the third-straight, one-goal game in the series between the two programs. York has claimed victory in two of those three meetings, with the W&L win coming in overtime in the 2023 season opener.
TEAM STATS:
W&L took double-digit shots in every quarter and ended the game with a 43-41 margin in that category. The Spartans won the turnover battle, 18-14, and picked up 35 ground balls to 32 for the Blue and White.
UP NEXT:
The Generals will return to action next Saturday, February 24, when they host Washington College (Md.) at 1:00 p.m. in their home opener.
Nestled in the mountains of Virginia, Washington and Lee University is a proud member of NCAA Division III and the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. Founded in 1749, W&L is the ninth-oldest college in the United States and a top-ranked liberal arts university. With over 500 student-athletes in 24 varsity sports, the Generals have celebrated over 265 conference championships. Learn more about the Blue and White by visiting www.generalssports.com or on social media at @WLUGenerals.
