Richmond crushes Hobart College 15-7

A dominant first quarter improved the University of Richmond men’s lacrosse team to 2-0 in conference play with a major 15-7 victory over Hobart College in Geneva, N.Y., on April 5. 

The Spiders defended their perfect record against the Statesmen, improving to 3-0. Hobart has faced a challenging season, winning less than a third of its games. On the other hand, Richmond was able to protect a 8-3 record with another massive victory. 

The first quarter solidified Richmond’s No. 10 ranking as they opened the game with a 5-0 run. Lightning on the field, the Spiders quickly netted four goals in the first five minutes of the game. The Statesmen didn’t manage a single shot during the run, but picked up two turnovers and a penalty. 

Calling a timeout, Hobart desperately tried to regather strength. The huddle produced a solidified game plan, allowing the Statesmen to hold the Spiders back from scoring for nine minutes while also picking up two shots on goal. Sophomore attacker Lucas Littlejohn grabbed the last goal of the quarter, furthering Richmond’s already blusterous lead.  

“Our great start gave us the advantage throughout, and that was the game,” said Head Coach Dan Chemotti. “We showed great leadership and great effort throughout.”

Hobart finally preserved with a goal a little over a minute into the second quarter. The Statesmen picked up the pace and established back-and-forth play for the first time. It was short-lived, though, as Richmond ended the half with a 4-0 run. Turnovers continued to pose a problem for Hobart, causing them to give up possession over and over again. 

The game rose to a crescendo in the third quarter as the teams marched back onto the field from the locker room. Neither team broke away from the other as back-and-forth play was established in the beginning and stayed until the buzzer sounded. Junior attacker Aidan O’Neil led the Spiders, recording three goals, two of which were unassisted. Keeping up with Richmond wasn’t enough to close the score gap, the score 15-6 leading into the final quarter. 

The Spiders were as unsuccessful in the fourth quarter as they were successful in the first. Scoring bottomed out, with Hobart snagging the first and last goal with two and a half minutes left on the clock. It wasn’t enough, condemning the Statesmen to their second consecutive conference loss. 

“To be able to show up the way our guys did and make the plays we did was great,” Chemotti said. “There's a lot we can learn from this and a lot we can take away from today as we continue to progress through the conference season.”

The victory marked a major accomplishment for graduate goalkeeper Zach Vigue. He surpassed Richmond’s former All-American goalkeeper Benny Pugh with 36 career victories, becoming the winningest goalie in program history.

He’s quickly approaching another record set by Pugh, holding 551 saves, just a few away from 568 save record. 

Richmond is set to return to the Robins Stadium to face High Point University April 12 at 4:00 p.m. The two teams are currently tied for first in the Atlantic 10, both maintaining perfect records. By the end of the matchup, the top spot will only be held by one. 

Contact sports editor Abigail Finney at abigail.finney@richmond.edu.