UMO wins conference home opener
MOUNT OLIVE – Playing its second conference game this season, the University of Mount Olive men’s lacrosse team secured a 14-9 win at home over Barton on March 29 in Conference Carolinas play.
With the win, the Trojans improved to 4-5 overall with a 2-0 mark in league action. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs dropped to 6-6 overall with a 1-2 record in conference play.
The Trojans dominated the initial four minutes of the match by scoring the opening five goals of the contest. The first goal was scored by junior Chapman Parker at the 14:05 mark, 1-0. A minute later, junior Elijah Cobb put another goal past the keeper, 2-0. After the face-off, graduate student Mike Marto scooped up the ground ball and scored his second goal of the year, 3-0. With a pass by Parker, freshman Benjamin Vanderkley scored his first of the game, 4-0. At the 11:41 mark, senior Chaz Goodman scored to put Mount Olive up 5-0. Closing the first quarter, the Bulldogs scored back-to-back goals, bringing the score to 5-2.
In the second quarter, BC brought the game to within one by netting two goals in a row, 5-4. In response, Parker and graduate student Braydon Hickey scored goals to extend the lead to 7-4. At the 4:14 mark, Parker completed his hat trick, 8-4. With less than four minutes left to go in the first half, senior Aidan Lalonde netted his first of the game, 9-4. Closing the second quarter, Vanderkley put one in the back of the cage, 10-4.
At the start of the second half, the Trojans were first to score as senior Chance Urban faked out the goalie to net his first goal of the match, 11-4. Soon after the Bulldogs scored to cut the deficit to six, 11-5. At the end of the third quarter, Vanderkley saw a scoring opportunity and capitalized after a long pass from sophomore Cameron Norton, 12-5. Barton then scored two straight goals bringing the contest to 12-7. With a look from senior Samuel Skousen, Urban saw the back of the net, scoring his second of the game, 13-7. Scoring a career-high of four goals, Vanderkley netted the last Mount Olive goal of the contest, 14-7. Although BC was able to score two more goals, UMO sealed the 14-9 victory.
Vanderkley led with four goals in the contest. Fellow teammate Parker finished the match with three goals, two assists and three ground balls. Marto completed the game with 23 of 26 face-offs and finished with a goal and a team-leading nine ground balls.
Goalkeeper Jacob Brown collected 12 saves while facing 21 shots on goal.
— From University of Mount Olive Athletics
