By Aaron Rodenhausen
Sports Editor
Washington College men’s lacrosse completed its final two games of the regular Centennial Conference season last week, hosting Swarthmore College and 12th-ranked Gettysburg College.
The Shoremen first played on April 15, tying the visiting Garnet 5-5 in the first quarter.
Swarthmore edged ahead to an 8-6 lead at halftime, but the balance tipped once more in the second half. Junior midfielder Carson Crawford put WC ahead for the first time with 7:53 left in the game, 10-9.
Tied 11-11, the teams were forced into overtime when Swarthmore missed the final shot of the fourth quarter with three seconds to go.
In the extra session, Crawford made a pass to junior attacker Peyton Gestole, who recorded a walk-off score from the right side and secured a knife-edge 12-11 victory for the Shoremen.
With that, WC ascended to 12-3 overall and 6-1 in the Centennial, while Swarthmore fell to 9-6 and 3-3, respectively.
“The biggest challenge we had was going down by three during the game, but we have been in this situation before, so we bonded together and came back,” sophomore attacker Nate Winters said.
The Shoremen returned to the field on April 18 to celebrate Senior Day with a game against the visiting Bullets of 12th-ranked Gettysburg.
Despite WC’s high resolve, the Bullets jumped out to an early lead and dominated three out of four quarters, with the Shoremen only claiming victory in the second (4-3).
Regardless the 16-7 defeat, the match still served as a valiant sendoff for the team’s seven seniors.
“We are always focused on playing the next game to get us closer to completing our goal of winning a championship,” Winters said.
WC slipped to 12-4 on the season and 6-2 in the conference, as the Bullets climbed to 9-4 and 6-1, respectively.
Next, the Shoremen will conclude the season with their annual War on the Shore tradition: a face-off with rival Salisbury University for the coveted Charles B. Clark Cup. The game will take place in Salisbury, Md. on April 24.
Photo Caption: Seven Shoremen bid farewell to their team during Senior Day game.
Photo courtesy of WC Athletics