CINCINNATI, Ohio – The Hanover men's lacrosse team scored the first eight goals against Mt. St. Joseph (Ohio) Wednesday evening en route to an 18-2 road victory in Ohio River Lacrosse Conference action.

Hanover (7-8, 7-2 ORLC) posted its third highest offensive output of the season Wednesday night, with junior Joseph DeLeo (Waterford, Mich.) and sophomore Noah King (Lexington, Ky.) doing most of the damage. The duo combined for seven goals, five assists and 12 total points.

Both players tallied two points in the first half, DeLeo two goals and King one goal and one assist, as HC led 8-0 at the intermission. DeLeo and junior Bret Schell (Dayton, Ohio) had the game's only two first quarter goals. The second quarter saw six different Panthers score, including sophomore Dallas Fonner (Evansville, Ind.) who finished the game with three goals and one assist.

Posting multiple goals for the second consecutive game was freshman Justin Wilson (Fishers, Ind.). Wilson scored once during the second quarter and was also a part of a 5-1 scoring advantage for HC in the third period.

After the Lions (2-13, 2-8 ORLC) recorded their first goal of the game at the 12:24 mark of the third period, Hanover closed the frame on a 5-0 scoring spree. Sophomore Eric Clay (Wilmington, Del.) scored his first goal of the season and DeLeo and King connected on a man-down goal to highlight the run that gave HC a 13-1 lead heading into the final quarter.

Junior Tyler Kordesich (Walkerton, Ind.) tallied his first career goal in the fourth quarter, a 15-minute period that saw HC outscore MSJ 5-1.

The Panthers allowed five or fewer goals for the sixth time this season, with the defensive effort led by sophomore Noah Dubrava (Centerville, Ohio) in goal. Dubrava made seven saves over the first 30 minutes to keep the Lions scoreless at the break.

Clay recorded a season-high 10 groundballs in the win, while his classmate, Andrew Trachtman (Carmel, Ind.), paced the Panthers with four caused turnovers. Junior Evan Bartlett (Oxford, Ohio) added three caused turnovers as HC forced 16 of the 25 MSJ giveaways. Bartlett was also one of six Panther players with at least three groundballs.

Hanover controlled possession for most of the night, outshooting the Lions 59-18, which included second, third and fourth quarter totals of 18, 17 and 15, respectively. DeLeo led the way with 12 attempts, as seven came on goal. King pitched in with nine shots, while Fonner and sophomore Patrick Boylston (Boca Raton, Fla.) each added seven. Boylston and DeLeo each retrieved five groundballs as well.

At the "X", junior Sam Green (Beaumaris, Australia) posted one of his best performances of the spring, winning 14-of-18 attempts. Overall, Hanover won 19-of-23 face-offs.

With the win, Hanover has secured its first spot in the ORLC Tournament since the 2016 season. The Panthers have also locked up the No. 3 seed and will face Transylvania (Ky.), on the road, in the opening round next Wednesday, May 2.

The Blue and Red though, will conclude the regular season with a trip to Washington, Pa. at 1 p.m., this Saturday, April 28, to take on Washington & Jefferson.

Contact: Tyler Jester

jestert@hanover.edu