Scots Ride High-Pressure Defense, Six-Goal First Period to 11-6 Win over Kenyon

An all-around relentless effort, highlighted by 24 Kenyon College turnovers and six first-period goals, fueled The College of Wooster men's lacrosse team to an 11-6 win over the Lords on Tuesday afternoon at Gambier, Ohio, as the Fighting Scots improved to 4-0 in North Coast Athletic Conference play and remain as one of three teams undefeated in league play.

Senior Josh Herold scored a game-high four goals on seven shots while junior Sam Kuhn and reigning NCAC Player-of-the-Week Matt Parmelee each tallied two. In addition, Kuhn finished with a game-high three assists.

Wooster (8-5, 4-0 NCAC) opened to a 4-0 lead behind a brace from Kuhn, which bookended a goal from junior Erik Barroso before Herold closed the run with his 34th goal of the season. Worth mentioning was Kuhn's first-period effort, as the junior attacker tallied a point on four of the Scots' first six goals (2 goals, 2 assists).

After Kenyon's (4-5, 2-2 NCAC) Emilio Sosa got the Lords on the board just before the eight-minute mark, Parmelee responded with a solo effort nearly 45 seconds later while Herold closed the first stanza with a last-second goal on the assist from Kuhn.

Unassisted goals from CJ Polak and Parmelee sandwiched a goal from Kenyon's Josh Galardi as part of a lowering scoring, three-goal second period, as the Scots held an 8-2 advantage at the half.

In a quick turn of the table come the second half, it was the Lords who opened play with a 4-0 streak to shrink the deficit to within two (8-6) just before the three-minute mark.

In clutch timing, a Parmelee-to-Herold connection made way as the Scots took back a three-goal lead heading into the fourth.

Two fourth-period goals, one from Herold and the other from junior Alexander Bloom, put a cap on the Lords' comeback hopes. With the win, Wooster became the first NCAC team this season to reach four league wins, while also marking the first time in program history in which the Scots opened conference play with four straight victories.

First-year goalkeeper Wesley Wagner made 12 saves on 18 shots on cage. Barroso led the game with seven groundballs while junior Jack Gilio totaled five groundballs and a co-game-high three caused turnovers, tying sophomore Ethan Scully in the latter category.

Notable, for the second-career time, Gilio has entered the program's top-10 records for groundballs in a season with 60. Last season, the junior long-stick midfielder finished with 89, enough for second-best all-time in the program's annals.

In addition, Wooster outshot Kenyon 16-4 in the first period and was 13-for-21 on faceoffs.

Up next, the Scots take on DePauw University (5-3, 0-2 NCAC) on Saturday, April 8 at noon at Greencastle, Ind.