WOOSTER, Ohio - Nine different Fighting Scots found the back of the net to lead The College of Wooster men's lacrosse team to an 18-7 victory over Saint Vincent College during the team's annual Faculty Appreciation Game. Wooster now starts the season 2-0 for the fourth time since the 2016 campaign.
The offense was firing on all cylinders right from the start, as the Scots outscored St. Vincent (0-2) 7-1 in the first frame. The offensive barrage only continued in the following two periods with Wooster holding a 9-5 advantage, while defense was the mark of the final frame with only three goals scored between the teams.
Senior Ben Byars and junior Will Fink both posted identical lines of three goals and one assist. Senior Vinny DiLeo got closer to the program's scoring leaders after an afternoon with two goals and four assists for six points. DiLeo now sits at 92 goals and 86 assists for his storied career. Other two-goal scorers included a quartet of sophomores in Austin Jourde, Rowan Piani, Luke Budd, and Lane Kellogg. Senior Jimmy Fisher won 11-of-16 faceoffs and grabbed a team-high eight groundballs. Junior Rory Zahren and senior Casey Steffen also collected six groundballs apiece. Junior Bill Holtzer and DiLeo caused three turnovers each.
Leading the way for the Bearcats were Jacob Crumling and Liam McCall with two goals each. Crumling also added an assist.
Wooster's offense stole the show in the first period, which included five separate unassisted goals. Byars and the Scots also began a 6-0 run at the 7:03 mark that spanned the rest of the quarter and into the second period.
DiLeo got his personal game going in the second period, scoring and assisting as part of the 6-0 run. He followed that up with an assist to junior JoJo Jordan later in the frame. When it was all said and done, Wooster led 11-4 at intermission.
Six Scots got involved in third period scoring, led by DiLeo and Byars who had a goal and an assist each. Meanwhile, Kellogg and senior Ben Huntington closed out Wooster's afternoon with the Scots lone two goals in the final period.
Senior Paul Chandler made eight saves on 13 shots to register his second win on the season. Junior Jason Astle also saw action in the second half. Garrett Ritts took the loss for the Bearcats, but led the game with 14 saves.
Wooster concludes its season-opening three-game homestand when it takes on Westminster College (Pennsylvania) on Wednesday, Feb. 28, at 6 p.m. inside John P. Papp Stadium.