DELAWARE, Ohio – The Ohio Wesleyan University men's lacrosse team concluded regular season action on Saturday, hosting Stevenson in a non-conference matchup. Facing an 11-8 deficit midway through the third quarter, the Battling Bishops flipped the script and closed the game on a blistering 6-1 run, storming back to secure a hard-fought 14-12 victory over the Mustangs. The win pushes OWU to 9-6 overall, dropping Stevenson to 7-9.
NCAC CO-CHAMPIONS
After finishing their conference schedule at 6-2 on Wednesday, the Red and Black had to wait for the rest of the NCAC Saturday slate to shake up the final conference standings. In the end, everything that needed to happen did happen for Ohio Wesleyan to claim a share of the NCAC Championship, with the Bishops ending up amidst a historic five-way tie with Wooster, Oberlin, Kenyon, and Denison.
The conference title is OWU's 23rd overall and second consecutive.
While all five teams share the NCAC Championship, seeding for the upcoming NCAC Tournament was worked out with several tiebreakers, ultimately giving the Battling Bishops the two-seed hosting rights for a semifinal matchup with rival three-seed Denison. Oberlin laid claim to the one-seed and will host four-seed Wooster. Kenyon ended up being the odd man out, winning a share of the conference title but falling short of a spot in the four-team tournament.
GAME SUMMARY AGAINST STEVENSON
The Mustangs jumped out to a quick two-goal advantage, outscoring Ohio Wesleyan 3-1 to start the contest.
Carson Fialho accounted for the only Bishop's tally during the initial Stevenson surge. However,
Wade Beckstrom and
Henry Ross struck back-to-back, erasing the deficit and knotting the score at 3-3. Stevenson managed one final answer before the opening period expired, edging back in front to lead the Red and Black 4-3 after the first 15 minutes of play.
In the second, the Bishops came out of the huddle with a purpose. Beckstrom and
Blake Altman spearheaded a quick 3-0 outburst to open the quarter, with Beckstrom bookending the run to give Ohio Wesleyan its first lead of the day. Over the next five minutes, the squads traded goals to make it 8-6 in favor of the Red and Black. However, the Mustangs fired two goals under two minutes to knot the contest at 8-8 at the intermission.
Momentum swung back to the Mustangs after the break. By netting three goals in less than two minutes, Stevenson turned a tight contest into an 11-8 advantage, forcing the Bishops to play from behind once again. The tide began to turn late in the third quarter. Trailing 11-8, OWU found their groove, tightening up defensively and re-establishing their offensive identity with just under six minutes remaining in the frame.
Cole Tulgestke and
Max Kemp fired strikes that found the back of the net, trimming the deficit to 11-10. The Mustangs tacked on an insurance goal with just over a minute remaining to reclaim a two goal advantage.
The fourth quarter was all Ohio Wesleyan.
Garrett Smith sparked the offensive surge with a strike at the 9:11 mark. Just over a minute later, Beckstrom converted his fifth goal of the contest to knot the score at 12-12. With just 4:07 remaining, Smith delivered once again. His second strike of the quarter gave the Bishops a 13-12 edge, marking their first lead since the second period. The Bishops officially put the game on ice just two minutes later.
Henry Ross took a feed from Altman and buried it, providing the final cushion needed to secure the 14-12 victory.
THE NUMBERS
The Red and Black fired 44 shots, putting 28 on target. OWU also grabbed 26 ground balls and 12 caused turnovers. The Bishops were 16-of-30 on faceoffs and 21-for-23 on clears.
Wade Beckstrom led the Bishops with seven points, courtesy of a team-high five goals and two assists.
Henry Ross finished with two goals and two assists for four points.
Max Kemp and
Garrett Smith both tallied two goals and one assist for three points.
Blake Altman had one goal and two assists.
Carson Fialho and
Cole Tulgestke each scored once, resulting in one point. Fialho tacked on two ground balls.
Will Siegenthaler had one assist for one point.
Noah Citek led the Bishops on the ground, picking up 11 ground balls.
Henry Pinamonti and
Luca DiCarlo logged three ground balls.
Trey Weber finished with two ground balls.
Jason Mosher (W, 6-5) got the start in the cage and played the full 60 minutes, making 18 saves.
UP NEXT
Postseason play arrives in Delaware on Wednesday as the two-seed Bishops host rival three-seed Denison for an NCAC Tournament semifinal clash at 7 p.m.
