*Story by Alex Trevino
WILMINGTON, Ohio - The finnicky weather in Ohio cooperated beautifully for the Wilmington College men's lacrosse team on its Senior Night and season finale. Senior Justen Shaw scored two goals and Garrett Murrell scored one goal in their final game in the Green and White. The Quakers were defeated 25-6 by Capital University.
Senior Night festivities were held immediately before first face-off to honor the five Quakers playing their final game in a Wilmington College uniform. Senior Andy Kathman pulled double duty this evening by singing a phenomenal rendition of the national anthem before sprinting onto the field to take his usual place in the starting lineup. The first half did not unfold according to script for the Quakers. Capital scored 11 second quarter goals en route to a 17-0 halftime lead. In the finale of a snake-bitten season and a game that had a choppy start, the Quakers showed grit and competed all the way through.
The seniors set the tone early in the second half when Justen Shaw scored two goals in the third quarter to break the shut out. Fellow senior Garrett Murrell joined in on the fun by scoring an unassisted goal late in the third quarter. What happened next should give this Wilmington team confidence going into next season that they are heading in the right direction. A changing of the guard could be seen when freshman Jacob Snyder scored three goals in the fourth quarter cementing him as the third leading scorer in the program, right behind two seniors. Wilmington played Capital close in the second half before ultimately falling by a score of 25-6.
Justen Shaw ended the season as the programs leading scorer with 25 goals. Garrett Murrell led the program in assists with 11. Freshman Andrew Chevrette scored six goals and had seven assists. Goalkeeper Cody Everly added 202 saves to his career total.
Wilmington finishes its 2023 season with a 3-13 overall record and an 0-9 mark in Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) contests.
