LEXINGTON, Va. – The No. 15 Washington and Lee men's lacrosse team dominated from start to finish on Sunday to repeat as ODAC champions, defeating No. 7 Lynchburg, 18-8.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- The Generals (15-5) got two quick goals from senior James Haley for a 2-0 lead just over three minutes into the game. After a brief lull, W&L put five more goals on the board over the final 6:50 of the first quarter for a 7-1 lead.
- The Hornets (16-3) got their lone goal of the first quarter at the 4:00 mark from Spencer Vandenberg, which made it a 4-1 game at the time.
- Lynchburg began to creep back on the Generals, scoring the next three goals to pull back to down 7-4 with 4:51 left in the half. W&L then recaptured its first-quarter rhythm with three goals in a 1:17 span to push the lead back to six before the break.
- The Hornets opened the third-quarter scoring at the 11:21 mark, but the Generals scored the next four goals to push their lead to nine. After not allowing a Lynchburg goal in 8:48 of game time, the Hornets scored the final two goals of the frame.
- W&L put the game away in the fourth quarter by scoring the game's next four goals, three of which first-year Luke Caldwell (1g, 2a) had a hand in, for their largest lead of the game (18-7).
TOP PERFORMERS:
- Sophomore face-off specialist Israel Mikkelson was a force for the Generals on Sunday, winning 23-of-27 and scooping up 19 ground balls. He also scored a goal during the Generals' late first-half outburst, which came just five seconds after an Elliot Cohen goal.
- Sophomore James Meyer posted a team-high six points on three goals and three assists. Haley and Cohen both had five points on two goals and three assists, while Caldwell and first-year Tucker Davis had four points apiece on a combined four goals and four assists.
- Senior Jay O'Keefe and first-year Lawson Marshall caused a W&L-best two turnovers on the day, with O'Keefe getting to four ground balls. Senior Chris Datz was second only to Mikkelson in ground balls (6).
- Sophomore JJ Kim played just over 56 minutes of the game to earn the win. He made 10 save on 17 shots, before senior Ryan Boyd took over and played the final 3:51.
- Riley Hastings led the Hornets with three points, all assists, while Liam Holman and Vandenberg both scored two goals.
- Luke Meadows caused a game-high three turnovers and picked up five ground balls, and Jack Murdock caused two turnovers.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- The Generals repeated as ODAC Tournament champions for the first time since winning in 1999 and 2000. It is the third time the team has claimed the conference title in consecutive years. Overall, W&L has now won 14 ODAC championships.
- Haley became just the second player in program history to cross the 100-point milestone in a single season. Hudson Pokorny '23 (109) was the first to do so in 2023, with Haley now at 103 points this season.
- Haley moved into sixth place on the program's single-season goals list (54) and is one assist away from producing the second 50-assist season in program history (Pokorny, 2023). He also moved into fourth place on the career assists list (112).
- With three more assists, Caldwell is tied with Don Carroll '76 for the third-most assists in a season in program history (45). Caldwell (94) also only now trails Pokorny (2023) and Haley (2026) for most points in a season in program history.
- This season's team moved into second place on the program's single-season goals scored list with 358. Each of the top four single-season goal totals have been accomplished over the last four seasons. The program record for goals in a season is 403 (2023).
TEAM STATS:
- W&L took 50 shots in the game, 28 of which came in the first half. Out of those 50 shots, 31 finished on goal. The Hornets put 18 of their 31 shot attempts on target.
- Lynchburg committed five fewer turnovers than the Generals (18-23) and went 21-for-26 on clear attempts. W&L finished the game 26-for-28 on clears.
- The Blue and White held the edge in ground balls at 50-26. The Hornets scored on two of their four man-up opportunities.
UP NEXT:
The Generals earned the ODAC's automatic bid into this season's NCAA Division III Championship bracket. They will find out who and where they play during the selection show tonight 9:00 p.m. at NCAA.com.
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.
