LYNCHBURG, Va. --- The ninth-ranked Washington and Lee men's lacrosse team secured the 12th ODAC championship in program history on Saturday in a thrilling 12-11 win at No. 11 Lynchburg.
The Generals claim the ODAC's automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Championship with the win, and they also tied the program record for most wins in a season, improving to 16-4 overall on their 10th straight win. The last time the Generals reached 16 wins and a 10-game winning streak both came during the 2019 campaign.
With the Blue and White leading by an 8-4 score at the 6:51 mark of the third quarter, the largest lead in the game for either team, the Hornets (13-6) got back into it with a 5-1 run spanning into the early fourth quarter to tie the game, 9-9. A goal from W&L sophomore Jack Elliott (Suffolk, Va. / Norfolk Academy) (11:23) then preceded a Spencer Vandenberg goal (6:51) to push both sides into double digits.
Senior Will Schnorr (Paoli, Pa. / Conestoga) put the Generals back up by a goal on an assist from sophomore Joey Allen (Berwyn, Pa. / Conestoga) with 5:48 left in regulation, before Elliott added a vital insurance goal with 3:01 remaining.
The Hornets tallied their final goal with from Dylan Wolfe with 2:11 remaining on the clock, but the Generals' defense held strong for the remainder of the game. Over the final 2:11, the Hornets failed to get a shot off and turned the ball over once. The turnover came with under 10 seconds to play, followed by a Harris Hubbard (Madison, Miss. / Highland Park (Texas)) full-field heave to ensure the final score.
Both teams tallied three first-quarter goals, with W&L's Hillis Burns (Louisville, Ky. / St. Xavier) scoring once and assisting on the other two scores to lead the offense early. Junior Sam Mannino (Fair Haven, N.J. / Rumson Fair Haven) scored the final goal of the quarter to kickstart a string of four straight goals from the Generals and an overall 6-1 run spanning into the third. The 6-1 run gave W&L its 8-4 lead, and the four straight scores marked the longest scoring run by either team on the night.
Burns finished the contest with a game-high five points on two goals and three assists, while Elliott, whose third and final goal of the game went down as the game-winner, ended at four points. Allen and first-year Elliot Cohen (Stamford, Conn. / Taft School) both added two points on a goal and an assist.
Hubbard led all Generals with five ground balls, senior Boots Lackey (Alexandria, Va. / The Heights School) picked up four and caused a turnover and junior Jed Heald (Manchester, N.H. / Phillips Academy Andover (Mass.)) scooped up a pair of ground balls and caused two turnovers. In cage, senior Warren Seeds (Atlanta, Ga. / Westminster) faced 22 shots on goal across the game's 60 minutes, and he stopped 11 of them.
Riley Mitchell led the Hornets' offense with four points on two goals and two assists. Wolfe (1g, 2a) and Jake Rust (3g) added three points apiece on a combined 16 shots. Michael Kraus took all 27 of Lynchurg's face-offs and won 19 (.704), and Chris Darminio led all players with 10 ground balls. Hornets' goalkeeper Tyler Hadley shared Seeds' save percentage of .500, as he made 12 saves.
Following the game, Burns, Hubbard, Seeds and Cohen were all named to the ODAC All-Tournament Team.
The Generals await the selection of their opponent and location for their opening action of the NCAA Tournament. The NCAA Division III Men's Lacrosse selection show will air on NCAA.com on Sunday at 9:00 pm.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
- Hampden-Sydney: Patrick Hanes
- Hampden-Sydney: Jack Limon
- Roanoke: Stephen Conte
- Roanoke: John Dias
- Lynchburg: Tyler Hadley
- Lynchburg: Henri Marindin
- Lynchburg: Cole Nestor
- Washington and Lee: Hillis Burns
- Washington and Lee: Elliot Cohen
- Washington and Lee: Harris Hubbard
- Washington and Lee: Warren Seeds