Men's Lacrosse: Bison Unable to Close Out Win

BETHANY- Men's Lacrosse hosted D2 program Davis and Elkins for a non-conference lacrosse matchup. The match saw multiple lead changes coming down to the wire. Ultimately the Bison were unable to hold their first half lead and suffered a 12-10 loss. 

The Basics

Final Score: Davis and Elkins 12, Bethany 10

Records: Davis & Elkins (4-5, 0-3)

             Bethany (3-5, 0-1)

How It Happened

• After giving up a quick goal, Tyler Britton spun and maneuvered past Senator defenders to score the most suave goal of the game to tie the game at one with 12 minutes on the clock in the first.

• Cameron Russo and Rutherford Sampson showed their connection early with a pair of goals in the first. The Senators responded, but Britton took the ball down the field to quickly regain the Bison's two-point lead.

• The end of the first quarter saw Bethany leading 4-2. 

• Sampson flipped the script and instead of assisting Russo, he found Justice Smith to give the Bison a doubling lead 6-3. 

• The defensive battle continued for much of the first half. Davis and Elkins were able to score one more goal before half. The Bison held a 6-4 lead entering break. 

• To this point, turnovers were the primary factor of the game. Both teams caused a significant amount of turnovers all game. Bethany hadn't made many unforced mistakes, but Davis and Elkins were able to cause 26 of the Bison's 30 turnovers. Many of those came in pivotal moments in the second half. 

• The Senators started the second half with control of the ball due to a penalty. They took advantage of that opportunity to score a goal. They continued the momentum scoring two more, taking the lead 7-6. 

• The rest of the third quarter was quiet until Xavier Jankowiak went coast to coast giving Davis and Elkins a larger lead. 

• The Bison broke their scoring silence late in the third quarter with an Ethyn Taylor goal. The Senators won the faceoff and scored immediately to regain the two-score lead. The end of the period saw Davis and Elkins flip the script and take the lead 9-7. 

• A score within six seconds by the Senators gave the Bison an even bigger lead to overcome. The beginning of this quarter would be the decisive blow of the game. 

• Britton earned a hat-trick scoring his third goal midway through the last quarter. Maurice Plummer brought the game within one, 10-9, with seven minutes remaining. 

• The Spartans strung together a few goals to make it a three goal game with just over five minutes on the clock. 

• The one late goal the Bison scored wasn't enough to complete the comeback for the Bison. The final ended up 12-9.

Bison Top Performers

• Britton led Bethany with four goals; Plummer and Sampson each had a pair. 

• The Bison defense forced a massive amount of mistakes. They caused 20 of the Senators 44 turnovers. Luke McCauley led the team with six.

• Christian Nestor had seven saves on 19 attempts. 

Where next

The Bison will host the LaRoche University Redhawks on Wednesday, March 27th. The game is set to start at 7PM.