Wooster Outlasts No. 6 Denison 12-11 in Thrilling NCAC Clash

WOOSTER, Ohio – In a thrilling wire-to-wire game that saw the lead change hands eight times, The College of Wooster men's lacrosse team delivered the final blow, as Ryan Story placed an emphatic check on a DenisonDenison University attacker with 10 seconds remaining in the game, dislodging the ball and sealing a 12-11 win under the lights at John P. Papp Stadium.

By defeating the Big Red (4-1, 0-1 NCAC), who came into the game ranked No. 6 in NCAA Div. III, the Scots (4-4, 1-1 NCAC) notched their first victory over a nationally ranked team since a 7-5 win over No. 12 Ohio WesleyanOhio Wesleyan University in 2004. It also ended an 18-game losing streak to Denison that dated back to 1991.

Trailing by a goal with one minute remaining in the third quarter, Casey McGann scored on a Graham Zimmerman assist that tied the game 9-9 heading into the final stanza. Wooster and Denison traded goals to knot it up 10-10, but Alex Mies rolled the crease and located Dan MacVarish, who picked up a hat trick and put the Scots on top 11-10 with 9:34 remaining in the game.

Minutes later, Pat Coyne gave the Scots a key insurance goal that pushed Wooster's lead to 12-10, but Denison's Emmett Jones scored with 1:21 on the clock, silencing what was a rambunctious crowd and giving the Big Red a chance to tie the game.

Matt Pullara won what would be the game's final face-off, but Denison caused a turnover and got possession in Wooster's backfield with seconds on the clock. The Big Red had trouble locating an open shooter, but with 10 seconds to go, an attacker cocked back to shoot when Story legally plowed into him, jarring the ball loose and causing a skirmish to take place as the time expired.

The lead changed hands four times in the first quarter alone, but Wooster's three-goal lead in the second quarter kept Denison at bay until it eventually tied up the game in the third. The game reached its pinnacle during a five and a half minute span near the end of the third quarter, when seven goals were scored, including one by each team that were only five seconds apart.

Leading Wooster in scoring was Coyne, who tallied four goals and an assist, while MacVarish chipped in three scores, and Joe Suliman recorded a pair. Mies was solid once again in his role as distributor, handing out three assists and scoring a goal in a solid outing.

Both goalkeepers were put to the test in this pressure packed tilt. Corey McGann made six saves, including one on a shot with 3:30 remaining by a leaping Denison attacker that he was able to dig out of the turf. Denison's Gregg Shannon finished with four saves, but let up double-digit goals for the first time this season.

The Scots will look to keep their momentum when they host College of Mount St. Joseph (2-6) on Wednesday at 7 p.m.