LYNCHBURG, Va. – Sophomore
James Haley scored twice in a 57-second span late in the fourth, tallying the go-ahead goal and an insurance score, to cap a thrilling 16-13 win for the 13th-ranked Washington and Lee men's lacrosse team over No. 10 Lynchburg on Sunday in the NCAA Tournament Round of 16.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
With the game tied at 11 goals each, Lynchburg's (15-6) Liam Holman put his side ahead by a goal with 12:48 remaining. Senior
Alex Brown, who had been held scoreless for more than three quarters of play, answered for the Blue and White (15-5) at the 11:08 and 10:32 marks to flip the lead back into W&L's favor.
Riley Mitchell responded for the hosts at the 8:54 mark to retie the game, before both defenses locked up the opposing offenses for more than six minutes of game time. With 2:31 to play, Haley scored unassisted to give the Generals their final lead of the game, before he tacked on a pivotal insurance goal with 1:34 left in regulation to bolster the lead.
First-year
Tyler Spano continued his strong game on the ensuing faceoff, winning the battle at the X to all but ensure victory for the Generals. With Lynchburg vacating its goal for added pressure on the W&L offense, senior
Leif Smith found himself with the ball, in front of the empty net, where he deposited his third goal of the game to lock up the win.
Mitchell scored the first goal of the game just 1:12 in, before W&L answered with a 4-1 run behind two goals from senior
Sam Mannino to take a 4-2 lead with 5:03 left in the opening frame. Both teams then engaged in a competitive back-and-forth until 1:42 remained in the second, when Riley Hastings kickstarted a 4-0 Lynchburg run into the third quarter.
TOP PERFORMERS:
Haley logged all four of his points in the game on goals, with three of his scores coming over the final 20:46 of action. Smith tied Haley for the team high in points on three goals and an assist, while junior
Hillis Burns scored three goals. Senior
Michael Ott came up with a clutch goal as well, his only score in the game, as the third-quarter clock expired. After discussion from the officials, his goal was ruled good, which tied the game, 11-11, heading to the fourth.
Spano turned in a 21-of-30 performance on face-offs, with 15 ground balls. Sophomore
Chris Datz (8gb) and senior
Jed Heald both caused two turnovers and combined for 11 ground balls, while first year
Nick De Cain stopped 13 shots across all 60 minutes of action.
Hastings and Dylan Wolfe paced the Hornets' offense with five points each, as Hastings scored twice and Wolfe scored four goals. Lynchburg face-off specialist Michael Kraus led with seven ground balls, and Henri Marindin, Dom Zingo and Cole Zacharias all caused two turnovers. Lynchburg goalie Tyler Hadley also played all 60 minutes and made 12 saves.
NOTEWORTHY POINTS:
The Generals' win on Sunday punched the team's ticket to their second consecutive NCAA Quarterfinal, and the seventh such appearance in program history. It is the first time the program has gotten to back-to-back quarterfinals since appearance in three straight from 1998-2000.
Brown's pair of fourth-quarter goals gives him an even 70 on the season, further increasing his program record. It also extended his multi-goal streak 22 games.
Spano's 21 face-off wins boosted his rookie season total to 264, which moved him past Jack Hodgson's '20 2018 season total of 261 for the second-most in a season in program history. The record is held by Hodgson, who won 285 in 2019.
In the all-time series between W&L and Lynchburg, the Generals have now won three straight overall and four consecutive at Shellenberger Field. Additionally, the road team has won six consecutive games in the all-time head-to-head.
TEAM STATS:
W&L held the overall shot advantage in the game at 48-40, but limited the Hornets to just six total attempts in the fourth quarter, their fewest in any quarter of the game. The Blue and White also picked up 48 ground balls to 36 for Lynchburg.
UP NEXT:
The Generals await the winner of the No. 1 Salisbury/No. 9 Swarthmore Round of 16 game for their next game. The site, date and time of the NCAA Quarterfinals are all yet to be determined.
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.
