MARIETTA, Ohio – The Marietta College men's lacrosse team earned their second consecutive conference victory with a blowout 19-2 win over Heidelberg University on Saturday (April 5) afternoon.  With the win the Pioneers improve to 7-5 overall and 2-3 in Ohio Athletic Conference play, and with the loss the Student Princes fall to 3-9 overall and 0-4 in the OAC.  
 
"It was awesome to see a lot of different guys making plays today and ending up on the stat sheet," said Marietta head coach Ben Suchomma. "Still have some things to clean up here and there but overall, a pretty good win."
 
The game was a great showcase for the Pioneers seniors who were honored before the game.  Ben Millard (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Kenston), Josh Walters (Cleves, Ohio/Taylor), Carson Meckler (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills), Jake Stern (Wheeling, W.Va./The Linsly School), Justin Collings (Pottstown, Pa./Pottsgrove), and fith-year seniors Nate Neal (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park), Chase Franklin (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mt. Lebanon), and Logan Podgorski (Pittsburgh, Pa./Bethel Park) were all celebrated pregame for their great Pioneer careers.
 
"I am so proud of these seniors and what they have accomplished here at Marietta," said Suchomma. "They have established a culture and work ethic for the future Marietta Lacrosse Men. I couldn't be happier."
 
The Pioneers dominated the first quarter, outscoring the Student Princes by seven goals and out shooting them 22-1.  Franklin opened the scoring with a pair goals four minutes into the match, off of assists from Alec Anderson (Loveland, Ohio/Little Miami) and Neal respectively.  Anderson then put in a score of his own at the 10:28 mark and then Sam Leininger (Avon Lake, Ohio/Avon Lake) added a pair of goals to extend the lead to five scores.  Franklin added to his goal total with a pair of scores and the Pioneers entered the second quarter leading 7-0.  

Marietta again shut down the Student Princes and kept them off the board in the second quarter, all the while keeping up the attack of their own.  Logan Podgorski (Pittsburgh, Pa./Bethel Park) scored quick from a Franklin assist and Neal followed a minute later from an assist from Leininger to push the lead to nine.  The good fortunes continued for the Pioneers as Jacob Grube (Westerville, Ohio/St. Francis Desales) was able to score a breakaway goal even being down a man on the field at the six-minute mark. Marietta took a 10-0 lead at the intermission. 
 
The Pioneers dominance continued in the third period as Neal collected a pair of goals, the second at the 8:06 mark, to push the advantage to 12.  Podgorski, Franklin and Brett Rick (Delaware, Ohio/Buckeye Valley) added scores which extended the lead to 15-0 after three periods.  After the Pioneers began the fourth period with a pair of scores, Heidelberg finally got on the board as Benjamin Evans found the back of the net to stop the shut out.  Mario Manzardo added a power play score but the Student Princes could not overcome the difference. Danner Dorothy (West Stockholm, N.Y./Potsdam Central) and Stern tacked on scores and the Pioneers would cruise to a 19-2 conference victory.  
 
Ben Millard (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Kenston) got the start in the nets for the Pioneers and got the victory.  He faced eight shots on goal and saved each one, while leading the team with eight groundballs..  Cal Henthone played most of the fourth quarter in relief and made one save on three shots on goal.
 
Franklin made the best of his Senior Day by scoring five goals and assisting on four others.  Neal scored on three occasions and finished with two assists.  Leininger, Podgorski, and Danner added two goals apiece. 
 
The Pioneers dominated the faceoff as they won 19 of 25.  Bret Dickerson (Troy, Mich./Troy) went 11-for-12 and Jason Mach (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) went 7-for-12.  Neal was 15-17 in the faceoff and picked up a team high 15 groundballs.  Caden Alkire (Ellicott City, Md./Centennial) had another solid game as he picked up six groundballs and caused a turnover.  Barrett Lindell (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mariemont) led a stellar defensive effort as he led with six caused turnovers and picked up five groundballs.
 
Marietta will return to the field Wednesday (April 9) for a crucial OAC matchup with the University of Mount Union.  The road matchup is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.

Fans can follow all of 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 X and Instagram.