Bison roll past La Roche, 22-7

Andrew Woodley, Sports Information Director

BETHANY, W.Va. (March 3) - The Bethany College men's lacrosse team earned a decisive 22-7 win over La Roche in the home opener at Bison Stadium Saturday afternoon in a non-conference match.

THE MATCHUP

• Final: Bethany 22, La Roche 7 (Box Score)
• Records: Bethany 1-1 | La Roche 0-4
• Location: Bison Stadium | Bethany, West Virginia

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Bison got off to a fast start with goals from freshmen Chandler Dunn (Benwood, W.Va./John Marshall) and Christian Robertson (Ellicott City, Md./Mother of Divine Grace) to take a 2-0 lead.
• La Roche got on the board next, but back-to-back goals by senior Bryan Uth (Hedgesville, W.Va./Hedgesville) gave the Bison a 4-1 lead with 5:14 left in the first quarter. The Redhawks would draw closer with another goal two minutes later to cut the Bethany lead to 4-2 after one period.
• The Bison dominated the second quarter. Bethany scored five-unanswered goals to take a 9-2 lead into halftime. Freshman Tristan Shaffer (Fredericksburg, Va./Massaponax) scored three times, while Uth added the other two Bison markers.
• Bethany continued to pile on the goals in the third quarter. The Bison scored seven-unanswered goals to start the second half to take a 16-2 lead with 4:15 left in the third quarter.
• La Roche would net a pair of goals to pull within 12 at 16-4, but Bethany kept the pressure on with six of the game's next seven goals to take a 22-5 lead and effectively put the contest out of reach. 

MATCH NOTES

• Uth led the Bison with six goals on eight shots and added two assists to his final line. He was also 7-of-15 in faceoffs.
• Shaffer paced Uth with five goals on eight shots.
• Dunn, senior Shaka Conteh (Alexandria, Va./TC Williams) and freshman Nicholas Melita (Fredericksburg, Va./Massaponax) each scored two goals in the win.
• Senior goalkeeper Sean Rhodes (Indiana, Pa./Indiana) made 13 saves to earn the win.
• Bethany out-shot La Roche 46 to 34 in the game. La Roche held the edge in the faceoff circle, winning 20 of the 32 draws.
• The 22 goals scored is the most by the Bison since a 23-3 win over Defiance on April 1, 2016.

UP NEXT

• Bethany will attempt to keep things rolling when they travel to league-favorite Transylvania on Saturday, March 10 at 1 p.m.
• A live stream of the match will be available here.