By Julia Sparco
Elm Staff Writer
Saturday, March 6, 2021 kicked off the first game for the Washington College men’s lacrosse 2021 season. The WC Shoremen hosted the Randolph-Macon College Yellow Jackets.
Before the National Anthem played, there was a moment of silence on the field to remember former WC men’s lacrosse player, junior Blake Erdmann, who died in January.
Senior Keen Griffin scored the first goal of the game, but the Shoremen’s lead did not last long as the Yellow Jackets answered back shortly after with a goal.
Junior captain Ewan Temple took the lead towards the end of the first quarter with an assist from senior captain Joe Maimone but was yet again answered with a goal from the Yellow Jackets, making the ending score of the first quarter 2–2.
Kicking off the second quarter, the Yellow Jackets scored, which would be the only lead they would have for the rest of the game.
Four minutes later, Maimone scored a goal with an assist from sophomore Logan Clefisch, which tied the game at 3–3.
Temple was able to score within the last few seconds of the second quarter, which put the Shoremen in the lead for the rest of the game.
Coming out from half-time, Maimone and sophomore Brady McFalls scored, giving the Shoremen a comfortable lead in the third quarter at 6–3.
The Yellow Jackets scored two more goals, but Temple and senior captain Charlie Wittich both scored furthering the Shoremen’s lead at 8–5.
In the fourth quarter, Maimone scored once again. The Yellow Jackets cut their lead with two goals, making the score 9–8, Shoremen.
Senior Sean Reilly finalized the score at the end of the fourth quarter with an assist from Wittich. The end score was 10–8, Shoremen.
“One aspect that led to our win against a very talented team was the extra emotion and motivation that we played with throughout the 60 minutes,” Maimone said. “The grit and determination the underclassmen played with will pay dividends throughout the remainder of the season.”
Senior captain Chris Del Rosario had 14 saves in the goal with 8 points allowed. Both Temple and Maimone had career bests of three goals and one assist each.
Junior captain Kyle Gittelman broke his own personal record with seven ground balls and three turnovers during the game.
This resulted in an overall 16 turnovers for the Shoremen and a lead of 25–23 for ground balls.
“Everyone was just excited to get back on the field together, and that energy showed,” sophomore Luke Brennan said. “We came in with energy and fed off it throughout the game and got the outcome we have been working for these past couple weeks. It was a great way to start the season.”
The WC men’s lacrosse team will play again on Saturday, March 13 against Christopher Newport University at 1 p.m. on the Kibler Field.
“The win felt so special; the pain and tears that this group of guys have felt over the past year made games like this so great,” Temple said. “We are excited for the season ahead and to get back to work for Christopher Newport next week.”
Featured Photo caption: Junior captain Ewan Temple, who was named Shoreman of the week after his performance in this game. Photo by Mark Cooley.