NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The 10th-ranked Washington and Lee men's lacrosse team fell by a 12-8 final to seventh-ranked Christopher Newport in the seventh annual Lacrosse the Nations Cup on Saturday to close out the regular season.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Captains (13-4) scored the game's opening two goals across 8:15 of play, and kept the Generals (13-4) off the board until a
James Cardillo score came with 3:34 left in the first. CNU then beat the buzzer, as a goal from Kevin Miller gave the hosts a 3-1 lead with a second to play in the opening frame.
W&L senior
Leif Smith got the Generals back within a goal at 11:40 of the second quarter, but the Captains responded with a 4-1 run that spanned until 6:22 remained in the third for a 7-3 lead. Quick to answer, W&L scored the next three goals, including two from senior
Alex Brown, to cut the Captains' lead back to one goal.
The two teams then alternated scores, with CNU remaining ahead after each goal, until 7:54 was left in the game and a 9-8 score. The Captains then held the Blue and White scoreless from that point on, while scoring three goals themselves, to close out their win.
TOP PERFORMERS:
Brown scored a W&L-high three goals, while junior
Hillis Burns led the offense with four points on two goals and two assists. Sophomore
James Haley tallied one goal and two helpers for three points, while Smith rounded out the multi-point Generals with a goal and an assist. On face-offs, first-year
Tyler Spano took all 23 for W&L in the game with 15 wins (.652) to go along with six ground balls.
Spano's six ground balls tied for the team high with sophomore
Chris Datz, with Brown following at five ground balls plus a caused turnover. In goal, first-year
Nick De Cain minded the W&L goal for all 60 minutes, and he made 15 saves.
Coby Auslander and Alex Brendes led the Captains' offense with four points each, as Auslander dished out four assists to three goals and an assist from Brendes. Ryan Young paced the defensive efforts with five ground balls and three caused turnovers, while AJ Rosacker also caused three turnovers and got to one ground ball. Zac Hanway played all 60 minutes in the CNU goal and stopped 16-of-24 shots.
NOTEWORTHY POINTS:
Brown continued to close in on the program's all-time scoring record with his 13th hat trick of the season. He moved out of a tie with Matt Dugan's '01 1999 season total of 55 goals, and he passed Dugan's 57-goal, 1999 campaign for sole possession of third-most goals in a season. Brown now needs two goals to tie and three to break A.J. Witherell's '19 and Ande Jenkins' '97 single-season record of 60.
Spano's 15-of-23 performance at the X marked his seventh game this season with 15 face-off wins or more. Now with 213 wins on a 0.655-win rate this season, Spano can pass Jack Hodgson '20 (225 - 2017) for the fifth-most face-off wins in a season with 13 more.
TEAM STATS:
The Captains outshot the Generals, 47-38, in the game, but the shots-on-goal margin finished closer, with a slight edge to CNU, 27-24. Both teams were successful on all but one clear attempt each on 45 combined attempts, while W&L held the advantage in ground balls at 37-23.
UP NEXT:
The Old Dominion Athletic Conference office released the pairings and matchups for the conference tournament on Saturday. The Generals, who went 9-0 in conference play during the regular season, are the top seed and will receive a bye into and host a semifinal on Thursday at Wilson Field against either Randolph-Macon or Hampden-Sydney.
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.
