ASHLAND, Va. – The Guilford College men’s lacrosse trio of Connor Sweeney, Nick Honkomp and Brennan Sweeney tallied two goals each, but 10 first half goals by Randolph-Macon proved to be insurmountable as the Yellow Jackets emerged with a 16-10 win in ODAC action on Saturday, March 20th.
The Yellow Jackets (3-2, 2-0 ODAC) received three goals each from Brandon Smith, Jack Averna, Jack Smith and Ryan Pritchard to lead the way for an offense that had 49 shots (29 shots on goal) over the course of the day. Oz Potter, who improved to 3-2 with the win, made eight saves for Randolph-Macon.
Guilford had 10 goals on 37 shots (18 SOG) with the aforementioned trio leading the way offensively. Brennan Sweeney and Bryce Craig lead the way in assists with three each. Jack Rogers finished the game with 13 saves for the Quakers.
Randolph-Macon assumed the early lead with a strike by Brandon Smith. Guilford answered with an up goal by Brennan Sweeney, but the tie was brief as Jack Smith forged the Yellow Jackets back in front with an up goal following a pass from Derek Marsilio. Bryce Craig scored a goal at the 8:22 mark for the Quakers, but Randolph-Macon closed out the quarter with three straight goals to move in front 5-2.
The Randolph-Macon offense carried over the momentum sustained in the first by scoring five unanswered goals in the second. Two of those goals came from Averna, while Jack Smith netted two and Andrew Tiffey added a Yellow Jacket goal that resulted in a 10-2 advantage. Guilford’s Dimaggio Wilson drove home a shot with 2:37 left in the half, making for a seven-point Yellow Jacket lead at the intermission.
Honkomp opened second half scoring for the Quakers at the 13:15 mark, followed by goals from connor Sweeney and Bailey Benjamin, both of which came following assists by Brennan Sweeney. Honkomp scored his second goal of the frame at the 2:39 mark as Guilford sliced the Yellow Jackets’ margin to 13-7 at the close of the third.
Brennan Sweeney tallied the eighth Guilford point of the game at the 12:52 mark, trimming the Randolph-Macon lead to five, but consecutive goals by Marsilio, Ryan Pritchard and Michael Peters extended the advantage to 16-8. Connor Sweeney and Derek Zacatenco netted the final two Guilford goals, both up goals, as the Quakers reached double figures.
Guilford returns to the field on March 27th, hosting Roanoke for a 1:00 p.m. match. For more information on Quaker men’s lacrosse check out www.guilfordquakers.com.