Bison Lacrosse Downed by La Roche
March 30 – BETHANY, W. Va. – The Bethany College men's lacrosse team played in the first of five-consecutive home games on Wednesday evening, falling 12-5 to La Roche College at Bison Stadium.
The Redhawks came out of the gates strong, outscoring the Bison 6-0 in the opening 15 minutes of action. The visitors received a lift from Brad LaBovick, who scored or assisted on five of the six tallies, including posting a hat trick in the opening stanza.
From there, however, the two teams played a tight game. Both programs posted a pair of goals in the second quarter with La Roche tallying the first of the frame to make the score 7-0.
Bethany got on the board with 4:18 to play in the half as Jacob Schiffer (Monkton, Md./Hereford) found the back of the net off a pass from Tim Pagano (Erie, Pa./Fort Leboeuf) to make the tally 7-1. LaBovick responded with his fourth goal of the half, before Grant Delaney (Wooster, Ohio/Wooster) scored his first of the game on a pass from Jake Holland (Canton, Ohio/Jackson) with 28 seconds to play. Delaney's fifth goal of the season would round out the first half scoring at 8-2.
Utilizing a three-minute equipment penalty on the Redhawks, the Bison broke through first in the second half. At the 13:25 mark of the third quarter, Tyler Peck (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shaler) tallied his first score of the game. The freshman beat the Redhawk goalkeeper low off a pass from Holland to make the score 8-3.
Throughout the rest of the game, however, La Roche would outscore the Green & White 4-2 to hand the Bison the 12-5 defeat. The final two goals of the game for Bethany were scored by Lamont Sweeny (Columbia, Md./Reservoir) and Delaney. Sweeny's unassisted goal marked the second of the season for the sophomore, while Delaney posted his second of the game with 2:20 to play in the contest.
The Bison offense was strong throughout the game, peppering the La Roche defense with a season-high 53 shots. It marked the first time this season that the Green & White have outshot their opponent (53-40).
Delaney led the way for the offense, posting two goals in the game on just two shots. Schiffer totaled a career-high 16 shots in the game, notching a goal and an assist. Sweeny tallied 14 shots and a goal, while Holland finished the day with a pair of assists, giving him a team-leading 16 points on the year.
Defensively, Eshaka Conteh (Alexandria, Va./T.C. Williams) paced Bethany forcing three turnovers, while Dominic Halstead (Columbia, Md./Wilde Lake) and Schiffer tallied two, each.
Bryan Uth (Hedgesville, W. Va./Hedgesville) posted one of his best performances to date in the face-off circle, winning 17-of-20 chances. He also posted a team-high 12 ground balls.
The Bison will return to the field on Friday, April 1 as they play host to Defiance College. The Ohio River Lacrosse Conference matchup is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start.
