Scots Start Hot Against NCAC Leading Owls

GAMBIER – The College of Wooster men's lacrosse team took a 12-4 loss to Kenyon College in Gambier on Wednesday in a battle of the top two North Coast Athletic Conference teams.

Kenyon (12-1, 5-1) entered with a four-game winning streak and led the NCAC by half a game. Wooster (12-2, 3-2) got back in the win column last time out with a 23-4 win over Wabash College.

The Scots used that win to come out fast on Wednesday, scoring the first two goals of the game. Vinny DiLeo scored with 11:38 remaining in the first quarter, and two minutes later, Lane Kellogg made it a 2-0 game.

Kenyon responded with a pair of goals within the next 2:09, as Jack Giuffre took advantage of two man-up opportunities to knot the score at 2-2.

That was the start of five unanswered goals by the Owls.

That 2-2 score remained until early in the second quarter when Kenyon won the opening faceoff and proceeded to score via a goal from Gavin Gumucio and an assist from Guiffre. 

Another man-up opportunity went the Owls' way a the 8:11 mark as David Chintala scored. Kenyon made it 5-2 about a minute later thanks to a score from Rowan Goldin.

Wooster's Colton Beaudoin stopped the bleeding with a score at 6:11, but less than a minute later Kenyon made it 6-3 with another goal from Gumucio.

At halftime, Wooster trailed 7-3.

The Scots kept it close in the third as the teams traded goals. Rory Zahren scored out of the gate, but Kenyon's David Chintala answered almost three minutes later.

Kenyon expanded its lead by controlling the fourth quarter, adding four more goals to take the 12-4 win.

Paul Chandler made 11 saves in the loss. DiLeo and Kellogg added an assist each.

Anderson Macdonald led the team with a pair of caused turnovers, while Tucker Joseph had a team-high four ground balls.

Wooster held the slight face off advantage, taking 11-of-20 opportunities, while turnovers were also close with Kenyon on the edge 21-20.

Kenyon exceeded at clears (24-of-25) and held the ground ball advantage 31-24. They also ended the game 3-for-5 in man-up opportunities.

That was Wooster's final away game of the regular season. All three games remaining are home with the first being against Wittenberg University on Saturday at Wooster High School.