WASHINGTON, Pa. – The Washington & Jefferson men's lacrosse team took an early lead and held onto it in an 18-6 conference win over Thiel, earning the Presidents their first ever win in the Ohio River Lacrosse Conference and moving their conference record to 1-2 with a 7-1 all-time record against the Tomcats.

W&J was first on the board with a goal by Kyle Heinig at 9:31 in the first quarter. A few moments later, Bryan Whipkey registered one, putting the Presidents up early, 2-0. Thiel responded with a goal of its own before Zach Fredericks posted a man-up goal with an assist by Heinig. With 5:38 left in the first, Heinig found the back of the net once again. Thiel moved the margin to two with a goal to end the period, making the score 4-2.

With assistance from Heinig, Kyle MacKenzie opened the second quarter with a goal at 13:51. The Tomcats tallied their only goal of the period 40 seconds later at 13:11. Fredericks, Heinig and Whipkey each consecutively recorded goals before Fredericks and Heinig each tallied again, moving the score to 10-3. In the final 17 seconds, Fredericks put up the last goal of the quarter, giving W&J an eight-point lead with a score of 11-3.

Thiel attempted to decrease the margin by starting off the third quarter with a goal, but W&J responded with five in a row, including Heinig's 7th of the game and 31st of the season. After trading goals at the end of the quarter, with the final goal scored by Fredericks at 1:47, the Presidents were up 17-5.

MacKenzie kicked off the fourth quarter with a goal at 13:11, assisted by Whipkey, but it was Thiel who was able to find the back of the net three times in the period, finalizing the score at 18-6.

Jacob Succop made nine saves in 50:49 to earn the win, with Elijah Long stonewalling eight shots in the final 9:11. The Presidents collectively picked up 38 ground balls, led by Ryan Quan's eight and Joseph Tritschler's five. Quan also finished 10-of-18 on faceoffs.

W&J will return to action at Saint Vincent on Wednesday, April 13 at 4:00 pm.