*Story by Alex Trevino
WILMINGTON, Ohio - The Wilmington College men's lacrosse team sets off for a two day road trip to face Bethany College at 6:00 on Wednesday and La Roche at 4:00 on Thursday.
The Teams: Wilmington, Bethany and La Roche. Wilmington is riding high after a big 18-9 victory over regional rival Mt. St Joseph, a game in which the Wilmington offense was fully realized for the first time this season. Bethany comes into Wednesday's match mirroring the early season of the Quakers. Bethany failed to score five goals in each of their first two games, both being losses, and in their most recent match they exploded offensively for a 17-9 victory over Centenary. La Roche is struggling to find its footing this season as they have stuttered out of the gate and currently have four goals total through three games. La Roche has yet to win a match this season.
The Coaches: Garyck Todd enters his second season as Wilmington's head men's lacrosse coach in 2023. The 2016 WC alumnus was a four-year member of the program and was a part of the team's first winning season (9-7) in 2015. Bethany is led by Ryan Hilyer who enters his 8th season as the head coach in the 2022-23 season. In 2022 season the Bethany Bison reached the most wins in a single-season finishing 6-8 (1-6 PAC). In 2021, Hilyer led the Bison to their first PAC Tournament appearance since rejoining the league where they faced Grove City. La Roche is led by head coach Richard Reichenbach who brings 22 years of coaching experience to the floor, including 12 years working in Division I hockey. Coach Reichenbach comes to La Roche from the University of Maine where he served for 8 seasons as the Head Coach of the Women's Hockey Team.
The Players: Justen Shaw is having a massive season for the Quakers leading them in goals with 14 and is second in assists with three. Garrett Murrell, another senior, has tallied six goals and two assists this season. Clay Yingling is the lead goal scorer for the Bethany Bison with 10 goals and four assists so far in the campaign. Isaiah Hubbard has scored three goals for La Roche.
Series History: Wilmington is 4-2 against Bethany and unbeaten against La Roche with a 3-0 all time record. More information on the series history can be viewed by visiting the links above.
Tickets: Wilmington is a proud parner with Hometown Ticketing. Fans are encouraged to purchase digital tickets ahead of time at the link above.
Social Media: Wilmington athletics is represented on Facebook (Wilmington College Athletics), Twitter (@DubCQuakers) and Instagram (@DubCQuakers). Follow all the happenings of Wilmington College on social media by using the hashtag "#WeAreDubC".
Coverage: Live statistics and live video of the game will be available – visit the link above.
Up Next: Wilmington will play its final non-conference game next Wednesday at home against Spalding University at 6 p.m.
