WASHINGTON, Pa. -- The Washington & Jefferson men's lacrosse team was down just one goal at halftime, but let things get away in the second half in a 16-5 loss to Hood on Thursday afternoon.Â
The Presidents drop to 1-4 on the season with today's loss, while the Blazers improve to 2-0 to start the year.Â
W&J and Hood were locked in a tight battle in the first half, as the Blazers owned a slim 3-2 lead at the halftime break.
Pat Brunner (Ellicott City, Md./Mount Saint Joseph) and
Alex Strain (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper Saint Clair) scored the Presidents' goals in the half. Strain and
Benjamin Ward (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) were credited with assists on the team's first two scores.
It was in the third quarter that the game got away from the Red & Black, as Hood scored all eight goals in the stanza to take an 11-2 advantage into the fourth. A contributor to this scoring run was five extra-man opportunities for the Blazers, three of which they cashed in on.Â
Hood added to its lead in the fourth, outscoring W&J 5-3 in the period to secure the 16-5 win.Â
Ward finished the game as the Presidents' leading scorer with three points on two goals and one assist. The junior has scored a goal in all but one game this season, finding the back of the net nine times over five games.Â
Strain rounded out W&J's multi-point scorers with one goal and one assist. The rookie from nearby Pittsburgh, Pa. extended his team lead in both points (16) and goals (12).Â
Brunner,
Pat Heidecker (Gettysburg, Pa./Gettysburg Area),
Brendan Tribeck (Enola, Pa./Trinity) and
Mark Mandak (Enola, Pa./Trinity) ended the day with one point each. Brunner and Heidecker tallied one goal, while Tribeck and Mandak each had one assist.Â
Noah Cohen (Hewlett, N.Y./George W. Hewlett) played all 60 minutes in goal for the Presidents, making a season-high tying 20 saves. The junior backstop leads the PAC this season with 15.8 saves per game.
The Presidents hit the road for the first time in over two weeks on Saturday, March 9, when they challenge Mount Union at 1 p.m.
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