YORK, Pa. – The 10th-ranked Washington and Lee men's lacrosse team dropped its 2026 season opener by a 10-8 final against York (Pa.) on Saturday afternoon.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- The Spartans (1-0) notched the first two goals of the game and shut out the Generals (0-1) in the first period. YCP's offense peppered the W&L goal with 14 shots in the opening frame, but junior Nick De Cain kept W&L in it with five first-quarter saves.
- The Generals got going in the second quarter, scoring two of the game's next three goals, to cut their deficit to 3-2. York then found the back of the net at 8:34 and 4:42 for a three-goal lead, but senior Jack Booth (3:07) and first-year Luke Caldwell (0:19) brought the Blue and White back within a goal before the half.
- York, once more, scored back-to-back goals to open the third period to make it a 7-4 game. After sophomore James Meyer scored nearly three minutes later to get it back to a two-goal W&L deficit, the teams alternated goals for the rest of the game, with the final coming from W&L first-year Garrett Ferguson at 3:46 of the fourth.
- Defense led the way for both teams after Ferguson's goal, as the Generals did not allow another shot from the Spartans over the final 3:46, while W&L got two attempts off. Ferguson nearly made it a one-goal game with 3:14 left, but his shot banged off the crossbar.
TOP PERFORMERS:
- Caldwell led the Generals in his collegiate debut with four points on two goals and two assists, with a ground ball and a caused turnover mixed in. Meyer (2g) and senior James Haley (1g, 1a) also recorded multiple points for the W&L offense.
- Senior Jay O'Keefe paced the defensive efforts with five caused turnovers and three ground balls. De Cain also scooped up three ground balls and caused three turnovers, with senior Andrew Lehman adding three GBs and two CTs.
- The Spartans had five players record three points, highlighted by three-goal games from Coleton Mahorney and Gavin Gismondi. Colby Berard (1g, 2a), Davis Fisher (1g, 2a) and Jacob Mendez (2g, 1a) were the other three-point Spartans.
- Colin Kane topped the YCP defense with five ground balls and four caused turnovers, with Jeff Mueller and Nate Samson also causing multiple turnovers.
- De Cain finished the day with eight saves in the W&L goal, while YCP goalie Nash Womack stopped 11-of-19 shots on goal.
TEAM STATS:
- The Spartans topped the Generals in total shots by a 33-26 final, but W&L had the upper hand in attempts after the first quarter (21-19), in addition to shots on goal (19-18).
- York committed 21 turnovers to 18 for the Blue and White, with 15 of the Spartans' 21 turnovers caused by Generals.
- Both teams successfully cleared their defensive zones 21 times. W&L was unsuccessful on just three attempts, with York failing to clear twice. Ground balls favored YCP (32-29), with the Green and White going a perfect 3-for-3 on man-up opportunities.
UP NEXT:
The Generals will be back in action on Wednesday night when they travel to Newport News to take on No. 3 Christopher Newport in the ninth annual Virginia Lacrosse the Nations Cup.
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.
