SWARTHMORE, Pa. – The Swarthmore College men's lacrosse team shut out visiting Ursinus College in the second half and pulled away to a 17-5 victory in conference action on Wednesday night.
The Garnet jumped out to a 4-0 lead before the Bears responded with a 4-1 run to trail by one (5-4). Swarthmore then closed the first half with a 6-1 surge to lead 11-5 at halftime. The Garnet outscored Ursinus 6-0 after intermission.
Clay Almgren tallied eight points on four goals and four assists.
Ryder Maston produced five goals and added a helper.
Rex Mabbs set up four tallies while
Owen Hoffman recorded a hat trick. The defense also shined as
Sawyer Paul registered three caused turnovers,
Jack Nicholson scored his second career goal, and
Kevin Covington picked up his first career point with an assist.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Swarthmore controlled the first 10 minutes of play, scoring the game's first four goals. Hoffman potted two while
Nolan Ohrman and Maston each tallied one. The Bears got on the board at the 4:52 mark, kickstarting a 4-1 stretch that ended with Ursinus trailing 5-4 with 13:46 left in the second.
- Maston netted his third goal of the contest with 12:46 remaining in the first half. Hoffman and Almgren found the back of the net before Maston added his fourth to give the Garnet a 9-4 advantage with 9:37 on the clock. After a Ursinus marker, Almgren beat the goalkeeper again with 2:34 to play, making it 10-5 Swarthmore.
- The Garnet produced a thrilling end to the half.
Drew Tyson made a save with under 10 seconds to go and Swarthmore quickly moved the ball up field. Covington had the ball and sprinted into the offensive end. The first-year player found his fellow defender in Nicholson open just past the restraining line and Nicholson fired a shot into the net just before the buzzer sounded, sending the Garnet sideline into a frenzy.
- Swarthmore carried the momentum into the second half and shut down the Bears attack. The Garnet allowed just two shots in the third quarter with just one finding its way on goal. Maston, Almgren, and
Ronan Butler all scored in the period for Swarthmore. Ursinus improved in the fourth, recording 11 shots, but the Garnet continued to keep the Bears off the scoreboard.
Owen George, Almgren, and
Emmett Harris put the finishing touches on the victory with each scoring a goal in the final period.
GARNET LEADERS
Points: Almgren 8
Goals: Maston 5
Assists: Almgren, Mabbs 4
Ground Balls:
Jack McHenry 8
Caused Turnovers: Paul 3
Face-offs: McHenry 11-18
Saves: Tyson 9
UP NEXT
Swarthmore (8-5, 2-2 Centennial) begins a three-game road swing on Saturday at McDaniel College.
