PETERSBURG, Va. – The University of Mount Olive men's lacrosse team delivered a dominant performance on Saturday afternoon, cruising to a 19-6 victory over non-conference foe Virginia State on the road. The win marks the Trojans' second-largest margin of victory this season, trailing only their 25-0 shutout of Shorter on Feb. 28.

Mount Olive wasted no time setting the tone, jumping out to a 4-0 lead in the opening quarter and never looking back. The Trojans continued to pour on the offense in the second period, scoring seven goals to take a commanding 11-1 advantage into halftime.

The offensive attack was balanced and explosive, with three Trojans recording hat tricks. Benjamin Vanderkley, Jake Pagliarini, and Julian Amick each tallied three goals, while Brayden Rieger added two goals and two assists in a four-point performance. Trent Steele also contributed three points with a goal and two assists, helping pace a Mount Olive offense that produced 19 goals on 60 shots.

Defensively, the Trojans controlled possession throughout the contest, winning 22 faceoffs and limiting Virginia State to just 27 total shots. Mount Olive also dominated ground balls (33-18) and was perfect on clearing attempts (22-for-22), showcasing efficiency on both ends of the field.

Virginia State found brief momentum in the third quarter, scoring three times, but Mount Olive answered each goal with one of their own and closed the game strong with five fourth-quarter goals to seal the convincing victory.

In goal, Kurtis Lensing recorded six saves while allowing just one goal in over 36 minutes of action, anchoring a solid defensive effort for the Trojans.

Mount Olive returns home for its regular season finale on Friday, April 17, as the Trojans host Belmont Abbey at 3 p.m. at the Ray McDonald Sr. Sports Complex, looking to build on Saturday's momentum and close out the regular season on a strong note.