WASHINGTON, Pa. – The Marietta College men's lacrosse team hit the road Saturday (Feb. 19) for the first time this season and earned a 19-5 win over Washington and Jefferson College. With the win the Pioneers are 1-1 on the season, and with the loss the Presidents fall to 0-1 overall.
Marietta got off to a quick start as Connor Ficke (Saint Leonard, Md./Calvert) found the net 70 seconds into the contest. Four minutes later, Nate Neal (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) rocketed a shot from 30 yards away, from a Chase Franklin (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mt. Lebanon) assist, to give the Pioneers a two-goal lead. W&J lit up the scoreboard for the first time after Marietta was charged with a tripping penalty. The man-advantage opportunity aided Sam Snider to score, cutting the Marietta lead in half. Marietta's Zach Radcliffe (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) scored the next two goals to extend the lead and the Pioneers had a 4-2 lead after one stanza.
The Pioneers put on an offensive showcase in the second quarter. Chase Mullen (Cabot, Pa./Knoch), Quinn Rundgren (Angier, N.C./Fuquay Varina) (twice), Benjamin Hvorat, Eren Evensen (Medina, Ohio/Medina), and Neal all scored in the quarter. Not to be overshadowed, the Marietta defense also stepped up as they held the Presidents scoreless in the second quarter. Dane Barker (Cincinnati, Ohio/Summit Country Day) made seven first half saves, Jacob Morlando (White Bear Lake, Minn./Stillwater) picked up 3 ground balls, and Zach Rush (Westerville, Ohio/Westerville Central) caused three turnovers. Marietta took a 10-2 lead into halftime
The Pioneer offensive explosion continued into the third quarter as Marietta tacked on four consecutive goals. The goals were scored by Ficke, Radcliffe, Franklin, and Mullen. After Washington and Jefferson slipped in a goal midway through the period, the Pioneers answered quickly with two more goals to extend the lead to 13 going into the final quarter.
The two teams traded goals in the fourth quarter, but the deficit was too large and the Pioneers took the victory.
Marietta was led in goals by Radcliffe with four on the day. Ficke had three goals and four assists to lead the team in points with seven. He also had four groundballs. Neal also finished with three goals. Rush led the defensive effort with four caused turnovers. Nathan Grover (North Canton, Ohio/Hoover) dominated the faceoff all afternoon long, winning 18 of 25.
Barker had a great game in goal and got to rest the entire fourth quarter. He faced 31 shots, 14 of which were on goal, and made 11 saves.
Marietta will be back in action Wednesday (Feb. 23) when they travel to Pittsburgh to take on Chatham University, with the game scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
Fans can follow all the Pioneer teams all year long at pioneers.marietta.edu. You can also follow the Pioneers on Facebook at facebook.com/MariettaCollege and @MariettaPioneer on Twitter and Instagram.
