"Don't talk about it, be about it."
Wilmington head coach Domenic Marzano didn't mince words to his team at halftime, and it seemed to work, as the Wilmington College men's lacrosse team scored six of the seven second-half goals and beat Muskingum, 13-7, Saturday on Townsend Field in Williams Stadium.
The win gave the Fightin' Quakers their first-ever Ohio Athletic Conference men's lacrosse victory, and sealed the program's first winning season.
"We needed to clean up our play up," said Marzano. "We didn't need any more penalties. We needed to stop talking about getting our first OAC victory, and go out and get it. We had to stay out of the penalty box, and place our shots better."
After committing four penalties, including three in the second period, Wilmington went penalty free in the second half. Not giving the Muskies extra-man opportunities helped the defense settle in, and Wilmington nearly help MU scoreless for the final 30 minutes. Muskingum snapped the Fightin' Quakers seven-goal streak, scoring with 2:21 left in the game.
Junior Reid Delaney (Wooster, OH/Wooster) played one of his best games of the season, and his goal with 40 seconds remaining in the second period was vital for the Fightin' Quakers.
It gave WC a lead heading into the locker rooms; an advantage Wilmington wouldn't relinquish. The teams traded goals for most of the first half with each team taking one-goal leads over the first 30 minutes. Wilmington held four one-goal leads in the half, and Muskingum had one.
His goal also seemed to give the home team the momentum they needed, and it jump-started a 7-0 run that stretch until late into the fourth quarter.
"Reid figured it out today," said Marzano. "He is becoming more comfortable in his role, and he hustled all day, and turned it up when we needed him to."
Delaney finished with a team-high five points with three goals and two assists.
Freshman Devon Maki (Pickerington, OH/Central) added three goals and one assists. Junior Alexander Gossard (Galloway, OH/Hilliard Bradley) tallied two goals with an assist, and junior Evan Osborne (Middletown, OH/Lebanon) recorded two goals.
Junior Jalen Jackson (Hilliard, OH/Bradley) had a team-high two assists to go along with a goal.
Wilmington (9-5 overall, 1-4 OAC) hosts its final home game of the season, playing Otterbein 7 p.m. Wednesday on Townsend Field at Williams Stadium.