LEXINGTON, Va. – Junior
James Haley tallied five points and sophomore
Nick De Cain made 13 saves to lead the No. 9 and top-seeded Washington and Lee men's lacrosse team to a 10-8 win over fifth-seeded Randolph-Macon in the ODAC Championship semifinal round on Thursday.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Both offenses got off to a slow start with no goals on nine shot attempts and just two on goal across the first seven minutes of play. Then, W&L (15-3) junior
Byron Newman raced in and found the back of the net at the 7:49 mark to give the Generals the 1-0 lead.
The Yellow Jackets (12-8) began to find their groove offensively in the late stages of the first quarter, as they got two quick goals at the 4:45 and 4:33 marks from Matt Carter and Logan Sinsebox, respectively, to gain their first lead of the game. That roll continued into the second quarter with two more goals 55 seconds apart to leave RMC ahead, 4-1, with 7:56 left in the half.
Senior
Joey Allen helped the Generals close the first half strong, as he scored twice, with an assist to Haley, to get W&L back within a goal. However, Randolph-Macon struck for one more tally with just under three seconds before halftime for a two-goal advantage.
As they have done so often in second halves this season, the Generals locked in and locked down on the defensive end out of the break, as they allowed just three goals in the final 30 minutes, including none from 8:36 of the third until 55 seconds remained in regulation. On the other end of the field, senior
Jack Elliott, junior
Ben Irmscher and Haley all scored once in a three-minute span in the third to get W&L back in front, 6-5.
After Randolph-Macon scored its two third-quarter goals, Haley led the way for the Blue and White with three goals during a 4-0 W&L run that left the Generals up, 10-7, with 6:37 left in the game.
TOP PERFORMERS:
Haley's five points came on four goals and an assist, to go along with two ground balls. Allen finished the game with three goals, with junior
Elliot Cohen dishing out a pair of assists, both of which came on back-to-back Haley scores in the fourth. Elliott, Newman, Irmscher and sophomore
James Cardillo completed the W&L scorers with one point each.
Sophomore
Tyler Spano won 13-of-20 face-offs and picked up eight ground balls, while first-year
Israel Mikkelson filled in for two face-offs and won both for a combined effort of 15-of-22 (.682) for the Generals.
Junior defensemen
Chris Datz (5) and
Jay O'Keefe (4) combined for nine ground balls, goalie
Nick De Cain made his way to four ground balls, and first-year
Gabe Reiter picked up three and caused a turnover. De Cain played all 60 minutes in goal to earn the win, as he stopped 13-of-21 shots that went his way.
Sinsebox and Cooper Hauser both scored two goals for the RMC offense, while Carter joined with multiple points behind a goal and an assist. Riley Rayne caused a team-high two turnovers, with Brodie Kent (4) and Sinsebox (3) among the team leaders in ground balls. Jack Twomey matched De Cain's 13 saves across the duration of the contest.
NOTEWORTHY POINTS:
The Generals' win on Thursday puts them in the ODAC championship for the fourth time in the last seven years, with each appearance coming in an odd-numbered year. Overall, it will mark W&L's 11th all-time appearance in the ODAC title game.
Over the last seven games (since April 2), W&L is allowing just 1.9 goals per second half, with Thursday's victory going down as the fifth game in that stretch in which the defense surrendered three goals or fewer in the second half.
TEAM STATS:
Randolph-Macon held the advantage in total shots in the game (38-36), but the Generals outpaced the Yellow Jackets in shots on goal (23-21). W&L picked up 38 ground balls to 24 for the visitors, and also did not allow a goal on four RMC man-up opportunities.
UP NEXT:
The Generals will host No. 14 Lynchburg in the ODAC championship game on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. W&L won the regular season meeting against the Hornets, 14-13, in overtime on April 9.
Alumni Weekend Guests: Enjoy Free Admission to ODAC Postseason Events
All registered alumni and their guests in town for W&L Alumni Weekend (celebrating the classes of '10, '05, 2000, '95, '90, '85, '80, and '75) are invited to attend ODAC postseason contests free of charge this weekend. Simply present your Alumni Weekend registration badge at the respective venue's ticketing table to receive an admissions wristband and cheer on your Generals!
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.
