SALEM, Va. – Tyler McWilliams scored a game-high five goals in Roanoke College’s 13-5 victory over Guilford College Tuesday night in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Men’s Lacrosse Tournament Quarterfinals.
The third-seeded Maroons (11-5) posted their fifth straight win and advanced to Saturday’s (5/2) tourney semifinals against second-seeded Virginia Wesleyan College. Guilford, seeded sixth in the field, ends its most successful season with a 10-6 overall record.
The Quakers gave the hosts all they could handle in the opening quarter in Guilford’s first ODAC Tournament game. Guilford junior Dylan Haupt scored off an assist from his brother, Daniel, with two seconds remaining in the opening quarter to tie the score at 2-2. Andrew McDonagh’s second goal of the night 7:39 before halftime knotted the score at 3-3, but Kevin Jackson started and finished a 4-0 Roanoke run that ended the quarter and gave the Maroons a 7-3 intermission edge.
McWilliams netted his third goal of the night 23 seconds into the third quarter for the Maroons’ fifth straight score, but Guilford’s Jace Sowden ended the spurt less than five minute later with his team-leading 28th score of the year, which made it an 8-4 contest. Will Pilat answered with a man-up score 43 seconds later and McWilliams tacked on his fourth goal, which sent Roanoke into the final quarter with a 10-4 lead.
Three Roanoke goals in less than 60 seconds early in the fourth quarter opened a 13-4 Maroons’ advantage. Guilford’s Ian Wiesenberg scored with six minutes left to provide the game’s final margin.
Roanoke won 17-of-20 faceoffs and outshot the Quakers, 49-38. Colin McKenzie notched four points with two goals and two assists. Pilat and Jackson both scored twice and had one assist. The Maroons’ Cameron Linsley won seven-of-eight faceoffs and Max Knaus secured 10-of-12 draws. Knaus also picked up a game-high seven ground balls. Dylan Torrey was solid in goal with 12 saves, which helped keep the Quakers scoreless in five extra-man chances.
McDonagh’s two tallies paced the Quakers’ offense. Guilford’s other goal scorers were Haupt, Wiesenberg and Sowden. David Felipe picked up a team-high five ground balls and senior Thomas Deane made 14 saves in his final appearance as the Quakers’ goalie. He concludes his career with Guilford’s all-time records for minutes played and goals against average.