CRAWFORDSVILLE, Indiana – Sophomore Paul Chandler and junior Adam Meyer teamed up to allow just one goal, and The College of Wooster men's lacrosse team's defense aided the effort with a dozen caused turnovers during the Fighting Scots' 9-1 win at Wabash College on Saturday afternoon at Fischer Field.
Chandler made 11 saves on the day, good for a 91.7 save percentage, while Meyer stopped all three shots he faced that were on target. Sophomores Casey Steffen and Seth Owens caused two turnovers each to lead a defensive unit that allowed a single goal for the first time since a 29-1 rout of Hiram College on March 31, 2021. Of note, Wooster (5-7, 3-2 North Coast Athletic Conference) did not allow a goal over the final 52:56 of play in Saturday's win.
Offensively, sophomore Vinny DiLeo put in the first goal of the afternoon just 2:28 into the contest, and the Scots' leader in points passed out the assist on classmate Charlie Ballou's go-ahead goal that came at the 4:15 mark of the first. After taking the lead, Wooster warded off a Wabash (3-9, 0-5 NCAC) player-up situation. First-year Anderson Macdonald stepped up on the penalty kill with a key caused turnover, and sophomore Mitch Shelman cleaned it up with the groundball.
Wooster's player-down defense stood out in the win, as Wabash went 0-for-7 on the day. Three of Chandler's saves came during Wabash player-up situations in the second period, as did one in the third.
Ballou's three goals marked the game-high. DiLeo led the Scots with four groundballs and three assists, and of note, the Scots logged helpers on all but two of the goals. First-year Will Fink, sophomore Jimmy Fisher, and Owens scooped up three groundballs apiece.
Joseph Plencner scored Wabash's goal, while Evan Schiefelbein scooped up a game-high seven groundballs.
Wooster outshot Wabash 36-35, while Wabash finished with a 27-25 groundball advantage, thanks primarily to winning 8-of-13 faceoffs.
Next, Wooster hosts Kenyon College (9-3, 4-1 NCAC) at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, April 20.
Photo by Kira Boyce '23