VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – The Shenandoah University men's lacrosse team snapped a three-game losing streak and picked up their first conference win of the season Friday afternoon with an 11-9 road victory over Virginia Wesleyan.
The Hornets (4-6, 1-2) had a balanced offensive attack, with goals from eight different players, led by a hat trick from Dillon Bakhsh. Josh Boonshaft added two goals, while Matt Daniel, Clark Harrity, Dylan Taylor, Sam Poster, Cody Griffis, and Jake Green each scored once. Daniel also dished out a team-high two assists, while Dylan Foughty, Bakhsh, Poster, Green, and Dylan Pencek each contributed one.
At the face off X, the Marlins held a slight 13-11 advantage. Braxton Snead led the Hornets in draws, winning 8-of-14, while Ryan Therkorn went 2-of-5, and Jason Forchetti finished 1-of-5. Snead also collected a team-high four ground balls, while Foughty and Prince Ayivon led the defense with two caused turnovers each. Goalkeeper Mark Isabelle anchored the defense with 13 saves, securing the victory for Shenandoah.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Virginia Wesleyan won the opening faceoff, but Shenandoah's defense quickly forced a turnover when Ayivon stripped possession, and Aaron Coombs secured the ground ball. Harrity took the first shot for the Hornets but missed wide. On the reset, Bakhsh found Poster to put the Hornets on the board at 1-0 with 12:49 remaining in the first quarter.
The Marlins answered after forcing a turnover of their own, tying the game at 1-1. Five minutes later, Shenandoah regained the lead after a Virginia Wesleyan penalty gave the Hornets a man-up opportunity. Boonshaft capitalized, scoring off a feed from Daniel to make it 2-1. However, the Marlins responded immediately, converting on their own extra-man chance to tie the game at 2-2.
Over the next several minutes, Shenandoah seized control with a five-goal run that spanned the late first and early second quarter, extending the lead to 7-2. Griffis started the scoring surge, followed by Bakhsh's first goal, assisted by Foughty. Green added a tally to make it 5-2, and Bakhsh capped off the first quarter run with his second of the game in the final five seconds. In the second quarter, Taylor converted a man-up goal off another Daniel assist to push the lead to 7-2. The teams then traded goals, and Shenandoah carried a 9-4 lead into halftime.
After the break, the Hornets extended their advantage to 11-4 with back-to-back goals from Bakhsh and Boonshaft early in the third quarter. Virginia Wesleyan attempted to rally, holding Shenandoah scoreless over the final 20 minutes while scoring five straight goals to close the gap to 11-9. However, Isabelle and the Hornet defense locked in down the stretch, preventing any further damage and securing the team's first conference win of the season.
UP NEXT
Shenandoah continues conference play on the road Wednesday afternoon with a match up against Roanoke. Face off is set for 4 p.m.
#GoSUHornets
