OWINGS MILLS, Md. – The No. 15 Washington and Lee men's lacrosse team ended its time at the 2026 Callum Robinson Mustang Classic with an overall split after a 22-13 loss against No. 13 RIT on Saturday evening.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Through the first 21 minutes of play, both teams were lighting up the scoreboard and had an answer each time the other looked to make a run. In that time, neither team led by more than two goals, with the Generals (3-4) opening the second quarter on a 3-1 spurt to knot the game at 8-8.
- The Tigers (6-2) claimed the first run of the game of three or more goals with three consecutive scores to end the half for an 11-8 advantage.
- The Generals and Tigers split the first four goals of the third quarter to keep it at a three-goal RIT lead, but the Tigers proceeded to score six straight goals in the final six minutes of the third to open up a 19-10 lead.
- First-year Luke Caldwell, senior James Haley and sophomore James Meyer teamed up for a 3-1 run for the Generals to start the fourth, but RIT held the Blue and White scoreless after that while tacking on two late goals to yield the final result.
TOP PERFORMERS:
- Haley led the Generals' offense with five points on four goals and an assist, with Caldwell posting four points on two goals and two assists. Senior Elliot Cohen (3a), Meyer (3g) and first-year Max Fertels (3g) each added three points.
- Goalie Zach Rosenberg paced the W&L defense with two caused turnovers and three ground balls. Caldwell added three GBs to his line, as well, with sophomores Israel Mikkelson and Gabe Reiter and first-year Hunter Hodges each at three ground balls. Hodges performed well at the X for W&L, going 5-for-6.
- Erich Acton had a game-high seven points on four goals and three assists, while Ryan Sanders had five points on two goals and three helpers. David Charney (3g, 1a) and Brayden Kuczma (2g, 2a) both had four points.
- Philip Minardo was the game's top face-off man, as he won 20-of-28 and scooped up 14 ground balls.
- Paulie Weinrich and Jamie Hunt led the RIT defense with two caused turnovers each.
- Rosenberg covered the W&L goal for 41:07 on the night and made 14 saves, before sophomore JJ Kim played the remaining 18:53 and made three saves. Alex Zborowski stopped 10 shots in 57:00 of action, with Chase Strychaluk making one save in the final three minutes.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Haley posted his second big night of the Callum Robinson Mustang Classic and closed in on the 200-point milestone for his career. He will head into the next game needing just three more points to become the ninth player in program history to reach that mark.
- Haley also moved up one spot on the program's all-time goals list with his four scores against RIT. He passed Taylor Witherell '22 (122) for eighth place and now trails Dave Warfield '75 (131) by eight for seventh place.
TEAM STATS:
- The Tigers outshot the Generals 62-36 overall and 39-24 in shots on goal. That included 19 total shots in both the first and third quarters.
- RIT also had the upper hand in ground balls (45-32) and committed five fewer turnovers than the Generals (17-12).
- The Generals scored on two of their three extra-man opportunities, while the Tigers went 1-for-3.
UP NEXT:
The Generals will now step into ODAC play for the remainder of the regular season, starting with a home meeting against Roanoke on Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m.
POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE:
After the game, Head Coach
Gene McCabe and senior
James Haley spoke with the media:
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.
