Men's lacrosse defeats Muskingum, 9-6

Andrew Woodley, Sports Information Director

BETHANY, W.Va. (April 25) - The Bethany College men's lacrosse team rallied to earn a 9-6 win over Muskingum Wednesday evening in a non-conference game at Bison Stadium.

THE MATCHUP

• Final: Bethany 9, Muskingum 6 (Box Score)
• Records: Bethany 4-11 | Muskingum 3-12
• Location: Bison Stadium | Bethany, West Virginia

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Bethany notched the opening goal when freshman Jacob Ranttila (Bennington, Vt./Mount Anthony Union) went top-shelf on the Muskie goalie to give the Bison a 1-0 lead just over a minute into the match.
• The two teams traded goals to give Bethany a 2-1 lead, but the Muskies notched a pair of unanswered scores to close out the first quarter with a 3-2 lead in hand.
• Bethany went on to out-score the Muskies 5-1 in the second quarter, including three goals in less than a minute to take a 7-4 lead into halftime.
• Freshman Hunter Jackson (Towson, Md./Archbishop Curley) tied the game up at 3-3, before classmate Tristan Shaffer (Fredericksburg, Va./Massaponax) scored back-to-back goals in 22 seconds to establish a 5-3 lead for the Bison.
• Muskingum drew back within one goal at 5-4, before junior Will Gatling (Baltimore, Md./Northwestern) tallied consecutive goals, including in the final minute of the half, to give Bethany a 7-4 edge entering the locker rooms.
• Neither team could find the net in the third quarter, as both goalies made three saves to help keep the game tight at 7-4.
• The two squads traded goals in the fourth quarter and Bethany managed to kill off two man-up situations for the Muskies to preserve the victory.

MATCH NOTES

• Bethany senior Sean Rhodes (Indiana, Pa./Indiana) made six saves on 13 shots on goal to claim the win.
• Gatling led the team with three goals and two assists, while Shaffer had three goals and one assist.
• Both junior Caleb Staudenbaur (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Kenston) and freshman Christian Robertson (Ellicott City, Md./Mother of Divine Grace) had four caused-turnovers on defense.
• Bethany finished the game 12 of 19 in the faceoff department, with senior Bryan Uth (Hedgesville, W.Va./Hedgesville) winning 11 of 15 draws.
• The four wins is the most in a single-season by the Bison since 2015, when that team also won four games.

UP NEXT

• Bethany closes out the season on Saturday, April 28 when they host Westminster for Senior Day at Bison Stadium.
• The two teams are scheduled to start at 1 p.m.