The University of Richmond men’s lacrosse team defeated Towson University 10-7 Feb. 24 at E. Claiborne Robins Stadium.
The Spiders were quick to break the deadlock, jumping to a 2-0 lead within the opening three minutes thanks to goals from sophomore attacker Max Merklinger and first-year attacker Aidan O’Neil.
Towson responded to the early jump from the Spiders by going on a run, scoring four straight.
With 3:25 left in the first quarter, UR was penalized, putting them a man down. On the man down, senior defender Jake Kapp broke free and missed a one on one with the goalie.
On the ensuing possession the Tigers took the lead, right before the end of the first quarter.
The Spiders were penalized six times throughout the game, however did not surrender a goal when down a man. The defense and redshirt sophomore goalie Zach Vigue played a crucial role in the win vs Towson and was given the credit due.
“We had a good game plan and they executed it very well,” Spiders Head Coach Dan Chemotti said. “[Vigue] made some saves and the defense was very aggressive in the first half.”
The Spiders fought back and took a 5-4 lead with a goal from Junior attacker Luke Grayum with 1:12 remaining in the first half.
Towson had an opportunity to tie the game right before halftime with a last second shot, but Vigue made a critical save, holding the Spiders one goal lead.
Vigue led the Spider’s defense against Towson, tallying nine saves and a 56% save percentage, allowing seven goals on the day.
The Spiders opened up the second half with two quick goals from senior attacker Dalton Young and junior midfielder Jeff Nugent. However, a 7-4 lead did not discourage the Tigers.
Towson followed by scoring two goals of their own, bringing the game within one goal heading into the fourth quarter.
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The Spiders went on runs throughout the game, once again, scoring three straight in the fourth quarter, putting Richmond up 10-6 and keeping Towson at an arm's length.
Young assisted on back to back spider goals in the fourth quarter, creating both opportunities from behind the cage, in addition to others.
The three goals from Junior midfielder Will Tazewell, Grayum, and O’Neil scored in the fourth quarter allowed the Spiders to focus and slow the game down.
Towson had no response with such little time, only able to get one goal back with 2:51 left in the game.
The Spiders played a complete game, doing well on both sides of the ball as well as in the faceoff category.
Sophomore faceoff specialist Jared Chenoy won 11 of 20 faceoffs throughout the game to pair with four ground balls.
The defense stood tall throughout the game forcing Towson into difficult shots as well as 20 turnovers. Graduate defender Jake Saunders led the Richmond defense with five caused turnovers and seven ground balls.
“Our defense set the tone and allowed us to build a cushion throughout the game,” Chemotti said.
The Spiders improve to 2-1 on the season and remain undefeated at home which they look to take advantage of as in conference play inches closer.
Contact sports writers Anderson Coll and Lexie Moskovit at anderson.coll@richmond.edu and lexie.moskovit@richmond.edu.
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