Bethany falls at W&J, 16-4

Andrew Woodley, Sports Information Director

BETHANY, W.Va. (March 24) - The Bethany College men's lacrosse team was dealt a 16-4 loss by Washington & Jefferson in an Ohio River Lacrosse Conference (ORLC) game Saturday afternoon.

THE MATCHUP

• Final: Washington & Jefferson 16, Bethany 4 (Box Score)
• Records: Bethany 2-5, 0-3 ORLC | Washington & Jefferson 4-6, 3-0 ORLC
• Location: Alexandre Stadium | Washington, Pennsylvania

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Bison managed to strike first after winning the opening faceoff. Freshman Nicholas Melita (Fredericksburg, Va./Massaponax) found the back of the net less than 30 seconds into the match to give Bethany an early boost of momentum.
• W&J answered with three-straight goals, but it was Melita again who beat the keeper during a man-up situation to pull the Bison back within one goal, 3-2, with 4:42 left in the first quarter.
• After W&J netted two more goals to close out the opening period, junior Will Gatling (Baltimore, Md./Northwestern) scored less than two minutes into the second quarter to draw back within two goals at 5-3 with 13:28 left in the first half.
• Both offenses were held in check over the ensuing 10 minutes, before a pair of goals by the Presidents helped the hosts take a 7-3 lead into halftime.
• W&J took command of the match with nine-unanswered goals in the second half to establish a big lead. Freshman Tristan Shaffer (Fredericksburg, Va./Massaponax) beat the W&J keeper in the final minute to halt the run, but the Bison did not get any closer.

MATCH NOTES

• Bethany senior Sean Rhodes (Indiana, Pa./Indiana) made 18 saves on 34 shots on goal.
• W&J held a 51 to 24 advantage in total shots and won 18 of 24 faceoffs in the match

UP NEXT

• The Bison will travel to Ohio on Wednesday, March 28 to take on Hiram in a non-conference match at 7 p.m.
• Fans can watch the game here.