WINCHESTER, Va. – The Shenandoah University men's lacrosse team fell to Hampden-Sydney, 11-6, in an Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) matchup Saturday afternoon at home. The Hornets (3-6, 0-2) struck first with an early goal but saw the Tigers respond with five consecutive goals. Despite a late push, Shenandoah was unable to close the gap as Hampden-Sydney maintained control throughout the game.
Senior goalkeeper Mark Isabelle had a historic performance, recording 20 saves for the second consecutive game. With this effort, he became the all-time saves leader in both Shenandoah history and the ODAC, reaching an incredible 939 career saves. Isabelle now ranks sixth all-time in NCAA Division III history and is the active career saves leader across all NCAA divisions.
Offensively, Clark Harrity led the Hornets with a hat trick, while Dillon Bakhsh added two goals and an assist. Cody Griffis netted Shenandoah's other goal, with Matt Daniel and Dylan Taylor each contributing an assist.
At the faceoff X, the Hornets held the advantage, winning 12 of 21 draws. Jason Forchetti led the effort, going 10-for-15. Defensively, Dylan Pencek and Jonathan Hammond each caused two turnovers, while Pencek also led the team with five ground balls.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The game began as a defensive battle, with both teams struggling to find the back of the net in the first six minutes. Shenandoah nearly took the lead when Griffis fired a shot on goal, but it was saved. Moments later, Hampden-Sydney had a chance to break the deadlock, but their shot clanged off the post.
The Hornets capitalized soon after. Following a ground ball pickup by Aaron Coombs and an initial save on Griffis' shot, Daniel recovered possession. Shenandoah worked the ball around, and Taylor found Griffis for the opening goal, giving the Hornets a 1-0 lead. However, the Tigers responded with two late first-quarter goals to take a 2-1 advantage.
In the second quarter, Hampden-Sydney extended its lead with three straight goals, making it 5-1. Shenandoah cut into the deficit with a goal reminiscent of their first. After a Tigers turnover, Prince Ayivon secured the ground ball, and the Hornets quickly transitioned into attack. Pencek's shot sailed just high, but Poster collected the rebound, and after resetting the offense, Harrity buried his first goal to make it a 5-2 game at halftime.
Hampden-Sydney pulled away in the second half, scoring four unanswered goals to stretch its lead to 9-2. Bakhsh halted the run with his first goal of the day, following another ground ball pickup by Pencek. In the final quarter, Harrity completed his hat trick, and Bakhsh added his second goal, but the deficit proved too large to overcome as the Tigers ran out the clock to secure the 11-6 victory.
UP NEXT
Shenandoah continues ODAC play on the road Friday, traveling to Virginia Beach to face Virginia Wesleyan. The game is set to begin at 4 p.m.
#GoSUHornets
