Delaney Breaks Scoring Record as Bethany Lacrosse Falls to Hanover
April 9 – BETHANY, W. Va. – The Bethany College lacrosse team was defeated by Hanover College, 18-7, on Saturday afternoon. Senior Grant Delaney (Wooster, Ohio/Wooster) became the all-time leading scorer in Bethany history as he recorded his third consecutive game with a hat trick.
Delaney broke the record late in the fourth quarter with his second goal of the game, passing Brendan Wessells' total of 65 career goals. Delaney scored again shortly after, giving him a total of 67 career scores, including 14 goals in the last three contests.
Hanover (5-6, 3-0 ORLC) took an early lead over the Bison, scoring twice in the opening five minutes of the contest.
Bethany (2-10, 2-2 ORLC) responded with a goal of their own to make it 2-1 at the 8:21 mark. Junior Jake Holland (Canton, Ohio/Jackson) found Delaney in front of the net for his first score of the game.
The Panthers regained control of the contest and extended their lead to four (5-1) by the end of the opening quarter.
Bison goaltender Sean Rhodes (Indiana, Pa./Indiana Area Senior) collected two early saves in the second quarter to keep Bethany within reach. Hanover, however, continued to put pressure on the Bethany defense throughout the frame. The Panthers held a 10-1 advantage at the half.
Hanover opened up a double-digit lead in the third quarter, taking advantage of multiple Bison mistakes to increase their lead.
Holland managed to get Bethany on the scoreboard late in the third quarter, beating a couple Panther defenders for the goal. The Bison trailed 17-2 at the conclusion of the third.
The Bison offense started to find its rhythm late in the contest as freshman Michael Loffredo (Monroeville, Pa./Gateway) added a goal of his own with 10:01 remaining the fourth quarter on a nice feed from sophomore Jacob Schiffer (Monkton, Md./Hereford). Schiffer led the Bison with three assists in the game.
Schiffer followed that up with a laser from 15 yards out that beat the Hanover goaltender for a goal. Freshman Luke Gregor (Venetia, Pa./The Kiski School) added another score off the assist from sophomore Lamont Sweeney (Columbia, Md./Reservoir) with five minutes left to play.
Delaney scored again off a pass from Schiffer, marking his 19th goal of the season and the record-breaking 66th goal of his career. The senior attackman notched another goal shortly after as he finished with a team-high three goals against the Panthers.
Defensively, Rhodes finished with 20 saves between the pipes for the Bison. Junior Dominic Halstead Columbia, Md./Wilde Lake), sophomore Chris Isaacs (Norwalk, Conn./Brien McMahon) and junior Steve Pluas (Mt. Pocono, Pa./Keystone) had two caused turnovers, each.
Halstead, Pluas, and sophomore Bryan Uth (Hedgesville, W. Va./Hedgesville) each collected six groundballs.
The Bethany College lacrosse team will finish off a five-game homestand on Wednesday, April 13 when they welcome Franciscan University to Bison Stadium for a 4 p.m. start.
