LEXINGTON, Va. – The 15th-ranked Washington and Lee men's lacrosse team cruised to a 27-8 win in the quarterfinal round of the ODAC Championship on Monday evening, downing eighth-seeded Shenandoah for the second time this season.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- With the score tied, 1-1, inside the first minute of play, the Generals (13-5) proceeded to score 14 unanswered goals until 2:48 remained in the second quarter. First-year Luke Caldwell had his way with the Shenandoah (5-13) defense in that time, as he scored seven goals and dished out two assists.
- After the teams scored one goal each to end the half, W&L scored the first five of the third quarter, three from junior Harrison Hanson, to run their lead to 19.
- The Hornets scored twice to the end the third, before the Generals added four consecutive goals in the first five minutes of the fourth to take their largest lead of the game (25-4).
- Shenandoah played hard until the final whistle, scoring four of the game's final six goals, each one from a different player.
TOP PERFORMERS:
- Caldwell finished with season highs for goals (7) and points (9), while Hanson tallied seven points on six goals and an assist. Senior James Haley tallied another six-point game on two goals and four helpers, plus two ground balls.
- Senior Elliot Cohen and junior James Cardillo tied for the second-most assists on the team with three each, with Cardillo adding a goal for a four-point game.
- The Generals won 27-of-37 face-offs in the game, led by junior Thomas Moxley and first-year Hunter Hodges. Moxley went 14-for-17 with six ground balls, while Hodges secured 11-of-15 face-offs and scooped up five ground balls.
- Eight different Generals had one caused turnover apiece, with junior Will Abramson and sophomore Matt Blanton leading that bunch with three ground balls each.
- Liam Arnsmeyer had a Shenandoah-best three points on two goals and an assist, with Brody McClure, Xavier Parker, Cody Griffis and Noah Nolt all notching two points.
- Five different Hornet players had one caused turnover, and McClure led his team with five ground balls.
- Ryan Feldman was the goalie of record for Shenandoah and made 12 saves in the first half. Jack Dwyer covered second-half duties and stopped nine shots.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Monday's win marked the 250th win for head coach Gene McCabe at W&L. McCabe is now 250-114 (.687) as the leader of the Generals.
- Prior to this season, only one player in program history had ever recorded 40 goals and 40 assists in the same season (Hudson Pokorny '23 – 50g, 59a – 2023). Haley became the second on Monday night with his second assist, while Caldwell joined him just 46 seconds later with his first assist of the game.
- Haley's seventh six-point game of the season puts him at 90 points for the year, the third-most in a single-season in program history, and one behind A.J. Witherell's '19 91-point 2018 season. Caldwell is up to 88 points, tied with Witherell's 2017 season for fourth most.
TEAM STATS:
- The Generals took 63 shots in the game and put 48 on goal, while the Hornets managed 13-of-29 shots on target. W&L also outpaced the Hornets in ground balls, 54-24.
- Shenandoah turned the ball over nine more times than the Generals (24-15), but cashed in on both of their extra-man opportunities.
UP NEXT:
The Generals advance to the semifinals of the ODAC Championship on Friday, where they will host fourth-seeded Hampden-Sydney. The Tigers advanced past fifth-seeded Randolph-Macon, 12-11, in overtime on Monday. The Generals won the regular season meeting against the Tigers, 19-8, on April 4.
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.
