Photo By Brooklyn Zeier
By Stephanie Dowling, Staff Writer
The Susquehanna men’s lacrosse team dropped a difficult 19-3 loss to No. 15-ranked Franklin and Marshall on Wednesday, Feb. 26 on Sassafras Field in Selinsgrove, Pa.
Franklin and Marshall got off to an extremely fast start, jumping out to a 10-0 lead at halftime and leading 16-0 with only 12:41 remaining in the game. The Diplomats were led by senior attackman Kevin Mollihan, who scored seven goals on the day, and sophomore attackman Blake Target, who tallied four goals of his own.
The River Hawks were, however, able to avoid a shutout, as senior attackman Preston Ouellette found the back of the net off of a pass from freshman midfielder Jake Turner to put Susquehanna on the board.
Freshman attackman Charlie Hayes then scored off of an assist from freshman midfielder Victor Simone, which was followed by The River Hawks’ final goal of the game, scored by freshman midfielder Charles Braught off a pass from freshman midfielder Rob Swenson.
Following the loss, Susquehanna faced Muhlenberg on Saturday, Feb. 29 in Selinsgrove, Pa., losing 16-10 to the Mules in what turned out to be a closely fought battle.
The River Hawks led in the first seven minutes of the game 3-1. Senior defenseman Jacob Fox scored the first goal of the game, followed by a goal Turner assisted by senior midfielder Jack Harper. Harper then scored the third goal of the game off of a pass from Simone.
Muhlenberg then answered with four unanswered goals and led 4-3 before the River Hawks responded with two goals by freshman attackman Sean Carothers and Ouellette.
The game continued to go back-and-forth, as the Mules then scored two more goals to lead the game 6-5. Ouellette then found the back of the net yet again to bring the scored within one. Muhlenberg ended the half scoring two more goals to lead by two.
The Mules started off the second half with a quick goal 36 seconds into the third quarter. Once again, however, the game was back-and-forth, as Harper scored again off of a pass from Simone to keep the River Hawks in it.
The Mules answered by scoring two more goals and increasing their lead 11-7. The River Hawks responded with a goal from senior attackman Michael Hatala assisted by Braught and a goal by Harper off of an assist by Hatala.
Muhlenberg then scored two more goals, but sophomore defenseman Cole Palmer ended the third quarter on a high note, scoring a goal with just three seconds left from half field. Going into the fourth quarter, Muhlenberg led 13-10.
The Mules held the River Hawks scoreless in the fourth quarter and they scored three more goals of their own, securing a 16-10 victory in the process.
“I think the team came out with much more confidence this game than previous games which helped give us a lead early on in a game with a historically tough team,” Harper said.
“For the upcoming games, we’re excited to start fresh in the middle third of our season,” he added. “All of our younger players have gained the experience needed to step up and make important strides going forward for the rest of the season.”
The River Hawks will next travel to Aston, Pa. to take on Neumann on Sunday, March 8.
