VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.—Eastern University Men's Lacrosse
improved to 4-0 to start the season with an 11-8 victory at Virginia Wesleyan
College on Saturday afternoon.
The Eastern Eagles trailed the Virginia Wesleyan Marlins by
two in the second quarter, but regained control of the game with four
consecutive goals to close out the second and third quarters.
Eastern senior and all-time leading scorer Grant Ferguson
boosted his career numbers with a game-high five goals. Ferguson's recorded a
five-goal game 11 times now in his career. Fellow senior David Darling set up
Ferguson on three of those goals. Darling had another helper to finish with a
game-high four assists to go along with one goal.
Sophomore Tim Lamb came up with two important goals in the
second-half that bumped Eastern's lead to two in both situations. Lamb also
assisted two of Ferguson's goals.
Trevor Gallion netted his first collegiate
goal. Jake Billera and Eric Waibel also scored.
Apart from allowing five goals in the second quarter, Eastern's
defense of Jordan Norris, Mark Cyron and Tyler Gelhaus was stingy in the other
three quarters. Goalie Nick DiPiano recorded 11 saves throughout the contest,
including five in the third quarter as Eastern began to establish a lead.
Marlins' All-American attackman Josh Currier scored three times in the second
quarter in a 50-second span but was held scoreless the rest of the game.
The Marlins tallied the game's first goal 87 seconds in, but
Ferguson tied the game less than a minute later and gave Eastern the 2-1 lead
with 11:56 to go in the quarter. The Eagles made it three goals in-a-row at the
start of the second quarter on an unassisted tally by Darling.
Marlins' Currier then went on his aforementioned one-man rampage,
scoring three goals from the 12:22 mark to the 11:32 mark. A goal by Joe
Papetti put the Marlins ahead 5-3.
Ferguson put a stop to the Marlins' scoring spree, whipping
a high to low shot from the left side past the Marlins' goalie with 9:50 to go
in the quarter bringing Eastern within one. The Marlins and Eagles then traded
goals, but with 3:21 to go in the half, Gallion netted his first collegiate
goal, ripping a shot from the middle to tie the game at 6-6.
Waibel made a strong cut toward the right pipe where he
received a quick feed from Darling and scored with 11:24 to play in the third.
With just under four minutes left in the quarter, Lamb netted a fancy goal to
put Eastern up 8-6. Lamb rolled around the crease and flipped a backhanded shot
into the goal.
Virginia Wesleyan's Mike Moran recorded a hat trick and
pulled the Marlins within one with 8:53 to go in the game. However, Lamb helped
keep the Marlins away with his second of the game a minute later. Billera added
an insurance goal less than a minute later, and Ferguson put the nail in the
coffin with a goal on an empty net with two minutes to go.
The Eagles have scored 11 goals in each of the last three games.
Eastern plays a rescheduled game with McDaniel College on
the road on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.
Box Score
