Joe Suliman

WOOSTER, Ohio – Joe Suliman rifled in a shot from the deep right wing with just :03 remaining to give The College of Wooster a 7-6 victory in a back-and-forth men's lacrosse affair with Washington & Jefferson College Wednesday night on Andrew Turf Field at John P. Papp Stadium.

Neither team led by more than two goals and the game seemed destined for overtime as it was tied 6-6 when Wooster (3-6) gained possession on its defensive end with :34 left, following a turnover by Washington & Jefferson (3-6). The Fighting Scots quickly cleared the ball, and after a timeout, worked it around, but could not find an opening, so with the clock winding down, Suliman fired from about 15 yards out. The Presidents' goalie got a piece of it, but the ball still found its target in the lower right corner of the net for the game-winner.

Washington & Jefferson had led 3-1 early in the second quarter before Wooster grabbed the momentum. The Scots scored the final two goals of the half, the first coming on a Matt Rubin rebound and put-back and then a Matt Ranck tally, set up off a nice feed from Matt Pullara.

Wooster also netted the first two of the third quarter for a four-goal run and 5-3 lead. Pullara assisted Jake Bernard on the go-ahead goal and then Patrick Schlick took advantage of an extra-man opportunity with an unassisted score. The Presidents, though, would tie it up by the end of the third with back-to-back goals.

Early in the fourth, the Scots gained a two-man advantage due to multiple penalties and Rubin converted with an assist from Schlick, however, Washington & Jefferson tied it up midway through the period to set up the thrilling final minutes.

Wooster held the advantage in most every statistical category, including 32-22 in shots. Ran Kirby, though, kept the Presidents in it with 16 saves, while the Scots went with freshman 'keeper Matt Magoon for all 60 minutes and he tallied four saves as well as four groundballs in the win.

Next, Wooster plays its second North Coast Athletic Conference foe of the season, as Ohio Wesleyan University (5-3, 1-1 NCAC) visits Saturday for a 1 p.m. face-off.