*Story by Andy Riesenberg
NEW CONCORD, Ohio - The Wilmington College men's lacrosse team trimmed a 10-4 halftime score to a two-goal deficit after three quarters, but Muskingum University opened the fourth scoring six consecutive goals in a 19-12 Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) win for the hosts on Wednesday evening.
The win was Muskingum's first over Wilmington in program history as the Fightin' Quakers had won the previous four meetings.
This game would prove to be a much different pace than the last game each team had played previously. The Fighting Muskies scored first with a goal by team leader, Josh Fletcher. Their second goal however, would not come until the well in to the quarter with 7:50 remaining when Nick Klinefelter scored unassisted.
Zac Chucta would score first of two in the quarter with 5:31 left in the first, and again just two minutes later. However, those would be the only goals scored by the Quakers in the first. They would not score again until under five minutes left in the half, when Andrew Miller would also hit two in under two minutes. Zachary Westmeyer would be the guy to push Muskingum to a 10- 4 lead at the half, going off for three goals and two assists in the second quarter alone.
The Fighting Quakers would push back, scoring six of their own in the third. Five different attackers would find the back of the net, led by Mike Smith with two. The Muskies would surge back however, scoring seven of nine in the fourth, including the first six of the quarter. Josh Fletcher would lead the way for the second time, scoring the first two and assisting another. Connor Judge and Isaac Louis Charles would both score for Wilmington with under five minutes to play, but ran out of time as the Muskies would finish the quarter with one more making it a 19-12 final.
Muskingum held a 61-29 advantage in shots, but just an 18-16 edge in faceoffs won. Both teams were successful in clear attempts as each failed just in over a dozen attempts.
Wilmington is now 2-9 overall and 0-5 in the OAC. The Quakers will be back at home this weekend as John Carroll University comes to Williams Stadium for a 1 p.m. game on Saturday.
