Balanced Offense Leads Wooster Past Kenyon, 13-8

GAMBIER, Ohio - Eight different players found the back of the net to lead The College of Wooster men's lacrosse team to a crucial 13-8 North Coast Athletic Conference victory over Kenyon College on Saturday.

While Kenyon (9-4, 4-1 NCAC) won most of the faceoffs throughout the course of the game, Wooster (6-5, 2-1 NCAC) relied heavily on its defense to force turnovers and create scoring opportunities, starting from the very first goal scored by sophomore John Allen Ginder. The game was tied 2-2 early, but the Fighting Scots kicked off a 3-0 run that spanned the end of the first period and the start of the second. The Owls put a stop to the run and could only keep Wooster's offense at bay for a minute before junior Rowan Piani kicked off a 4-0 run that lasted until halftime and built up a 9-3 lead.

The second half was much more tightly contested, as Kenyon had an answer for every Wooster goal in the third quarter. The Scots looked to run away with the win in the fourth quarter, but the Owls kept clawing their way back into the game, closing out on a 3-0 run, but there just was not enough time left on the clock to complete the comeback. 

Ginder recorded his first collegiate hat trick and also added one assist to lead the way for the Scots' offense. Piani joined in with a hat trick of his own. First-year Jack Holub chipped in two goals, while junior Lane Kellogg added one goal and an assist. First-year Domenic Cuda continues to establish himself as a dominant force with a team-leading nine groundballs and four caused turnovers. Senior Bill Holtzer matched Cuda with four caused turnovers as well.

Junior Gavin Gumucio was the only multiple-goal scorer for the Owls with two goals and an assist. Senior Rollins Heath helped facilitate the Kenyon offense with three assists. Senior Thomas Nelson won 19-of-24 faceoffs and also collected a game-high 13 groundballs.

First-year Case Lowery recorded his fifth career game of double-digit saves, narrowly missing out on his collegiate-best by making 12 stops in the win. Junior Adam Hall had 16 saves in the loss.

A few statistical categories were evenly matched, such as groundballs (35-34 Kenyon) and clears (29-of-33 for Wooster compared to 18-of-21 for Kenyon). The Owls dominated in faceoffs, winning 20-of-25, while Wooster held the clear advantage in shots (41-34), turnovers (15-24) and caused turnovers (15-8).

Wooster returns home on Wednesday, April 16 to host Denison University in NCAC action at 7 p.m. inside John P. Papp Stadium.