College Men’s Lacrosse Final – Guilford 14, Virginia Wesleyan 9

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Zach Berkowitz and Derek Spaulding scored three goals apiece in Guilford College’s 14-9 Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) lacrosse victory Saturday in both teams’ league opener.

The Marlins (2-4, 0-1 ODAC) had a 4-3 lead after the end of one quarter, but the Quakers (5-2, 1-0 ODAC) outscored the hosts 10-4 over the next two periods. Aswan Bland netted both of his scores in Guilford’s five-goal second quarter that sent the Quakers into the half with an 8-5 advantage.

The teams traded scores early in the third quarter before Berkowitz and Spaulding combined on four goals and opened a 13-6 Guilford lead. Nick Zepko scored twice 10 seconds apart to get Virginia Wesleyan to within 13-8, but the Marlins drew no closer.

Berkowitz added two assists for his second straight five-point game. Bland and Joe Eggleston both added two scores. Brennan Sweeney chipped in with a goal and two assists. Connor Leamey won six of seven face-offs. Michael Hickner added nine face-off wins and five ground balls. Parker Styles made 18 saves in goal, his second-highest total of the season.

Virginia Wesleyan’s Zepko led all scorers with six goals on nine shots. Tyler Conn chipped in a goal, an assist, and a game-high eight ground balls. Goalie Chris McTague had four saves in just over a half of work before Cory Austin entered the cage to make six stops in the final 24 minutes.

Coach Tom Carmean’s Quakers seek their fifth straight win Wednesday (3/14) when they host Cazenovia College at 4:00 p.m.