MOUNT OLIVE (March 25) – Behind a dominant first-quarter performance on Tuesday evening, the Trojans collected an 11-3 victory over rival Barton at Ray McDonald Sr. Sports Complex in Conference Carolinas play.
With the win, the University of Mount Olive men's lacrosse team earns back-to-back victories to improve to 4-5 this season with a 3-1 record in conference action. The Trojans remain a perfect 8-0 in the all-time series against the Bulldogs while holding their opponent to their lowest goal total in the matchup. Meanwhile, Barton falls to 2-8 overall behind a 1-3 mark in league play.
Freshman
Brayden Rieger delivered a breakout six-point performance behind three goals and three assists with three ground balls. Graduate student
Bubba Bowen finished with one goal, two assists, and two ground balls against Barton. Junior
Benjamin Vanderkley posted a three-point game with two goals and one assist, while fifth-year
Jack Lewis registered one goal and one assist.
After offensive pressure by the Bulldogs in the opening two minutes, the Trojans found the back of the cage first at the 12:43 mark following a goal by junior
Hudson Karasek, 1-0. The sides were locked in a stalemate for six minutes before UMO produced four-straight goals in the final 5:51. Rieger, sophomore
Evan Mitchell, Lewis, and Vanderkley scored to build a 5-0 advantage. Neither team managed to score in the second quarter with just 11 combined shots registered.
In the third, Barton ended its scoreless drought at the 13:46 mark to trail by a 5-1 margin, but UMO answered back with a goal from Bowen, 6-1. Mount Olive recorded an additional goal with three-plus minutes remaining as Rieger netted his second goal of the game. In the fourth, the Trojans began to pull away with senior
Brady Laurance and Vanderkley scoring in the initial three minutes of the quarter. Following a goal by Barton with 11 minutes left, junior
Micaiah Boyle netted a goal before Reiger completed his hat-trick to extend the lead to 11-2. The Bulldogs managed a goal in the final two minutes, but UMO secured an 11-3 win.
Junior goalkeeper
Kurtis Lensing recorded double-digit saves for the sixth time this season after finishing with 15 stops on 35 shots faced on Tuesday. Defensively, graduate student
Zachary Taylor tallied two caused turnovers and one ground ball. Redshirt senior
Josh Mauer went 10-of-15 on faceoffs while Laurance totaled a team-leading seven ground balls.
The Bulldogs held a slight 35-28 shot advantage while the Trojans finished 27-of-29 on clearances.
Mount Olive is set to travel to Belmont Abbey on Saturday, March 29, for a league matchup at noon.
