Written by Sports Information Student Assistant, Jake Sipes-Salter

HANOVER, Ind. – Behind an unforgiving defensive performance at Alumni Stadium, the Hanover men's lacrosse team was able to beat Muskingum (Ohio) by a 9-1 tally on Saturday afternoon.

With the victory, the Blue and Red advance to 2-3 on the season, snapping a three-game losing streak. On the other hand, the Fightinimg Muskies fall to 0-3 on the 2020 campaign.

The Panthers kicked off scoring at the 12:58 point in the first quarter, when senior Patrick Boylston (Boca Raton, Fla.) found the net on an unassisted goal. At 9:33, Boylston would notch another score, giving HC a 2-0 lead. Later in the period, junior Justin Wilson (Fishers, Ind.) zipped a shot past the goalie after receiving a dish from junior Eric Hopkins (Evansville, Ind.) at the 4:23 mark. Ending the period was junior Ian Kimmins (Dayton, Ohio), who converted on a pass from Boylston for his first score of the contest. By the end of the first frame, the score was 4-0 in favor of the home squad. In the quarter, Hanover tallied 11 shots, while allowing just five to Muskingum.

The Fightining Muskies struck in the second quarter when Nick Klinefelter connected on a shot to cut their deficit to 4-1 with 9:56 until halftime. Just two minutes later, however, senior Dallas Fonner (Evansville, Ind.) rifled back with a score of his own, extending a 5-1 Hanover lead that they would carry into halftime.

After ending the first half with a goal, Fonner would kick off the second half by hitting the back of the net again at 12:22 that pushed a 6-1 HC advantage. Later in the quarter, Hopkins would also get one past the goalkeeper to improve it to a 7-1 upper hand in the third. Kimmins would score once more with less than 20 seconds in the period via a dime from senior Noah King (Lexington, Ky.), making it 8-1 at the end of the quarter. In the fourth, Kimmins completed the hat trick when Boylston found him open for the score with 4:47 left in the matchup.

Defensively, senior Eric Clay (Wilmington, Del.) corralled seven groundballs while causing three turnovers. In addition, senior Andrew Trachtman (Carmel, Ind.) scooped up six grounders and forced one error. King and Hopkins each notched two caused turnovers, aiding in a team total of 18 precipitated blunders for the Blue and Red. In goal, senior Noah Dubrava (Centerville, Ohio) had eight saves and tallied four groundballs.

As a squad, the Panthers outshot the Fightining Muskies 39-23, with a high of 13 attempts coming in the third quarter. Additionally, Hanover was proficient getting from defensive zone to attack zone, with a 19-of-22 mark in clear attempts. In the turnover battle, Hanover edged Muskingum 29-23, with a low of three coming in the first frame.

The Blue and Red will look to continue their roll when they host Albion (Mich.), with action slated for 12 p.m., Sunday, March 8.