ALLENTOWN, PA -- Vandy Vanderwarker (Sr., Keswick, VA/STAB) scored three goals and handed out an assist to lead the Franklin & Marshall College men's lacrosse team to a 12-8 victory over Muhlenberg College.
The 15th varsity meeting between the two programs, F&M ran its record to 15-0 all-time against the Mules as the Diplomats built a 7-3 halftime lead and coasted to the victory.
Vanderwarker started the scoring for F&M as he finished an assist from Steve Welsh (Jr., Lewes, DE/Cape Henelopen) 2:10 into the game for a 1-0 lead. The margin increased to 3-0 over the next two minutes as Bas Solleveld (Sr., Glenmoore, PA/Shipley) scored an unassisted goal at the 11:09 mark and Matt Mondonedo (Fr., Silver Spring, MD/Blake) used an assist from Vanderwarker for a goal with 10:22 remaining in the first period.
Muhlenberg found the back of the net 21 seconds later as James Robinson scored off an assist from Mike Tentindo to pull within 3-1 before Vanderwarker scored off an assist from Chris Wathey (Sr., South Huntington, NY/St. Anthony's) at 5:34 to put the lead at 4-1.
The Mules closed out the period with another goal by Robinson with 1.2 seconds left as F&M led 4-2 after 14 minutes of play.
Franklin & Marshall kept up the pressure in the second quarter as Sean Duffy (So., Springfield, PA/Archmere Academy) and JB Robichau (Jr., Edgartown, MA/Tabor) netted unassisted goals at 14:37 and 10:41. Muhlenberg's Galen Marsh tallied an unassisted goal at 6:41, but Solleveld answered with 34.3 seconds left in the half for a 7-3 lead.
Leading by four goals, the Diplomats and Mules traded goals in the second half as both teams scored four times in the third quarter and once in the fourth quarter for the 12-8 final.
Muhlenberg struck first as Justin Hollander netted an unassisted goal at 12:33 before Wathey countered at 11:49. The lead grew to 10-4 as Welsh scored off an assist from Wathey at 9:37 and Vanderwarker finished a pass from Dave Taler (Sr., Baltimore, MD/Gilman) with 7:36 left in the period.
However, the Mules did not go quietly into the night as Marsh scored at 6:08 and Robinson converted a pass from Hollander for a goal at 4:33 to trim the margin to 10-6.
F&M's Cyrus Adams (Fr., Nashville, TN/Montgomery Bell) gave his team some room by scoring off an assist from Kevin Kohl (Fr., Manasquan, NJ/Loomis Chaffee) with 2:42 remaining before the Mules' John Kushay added a score with 10.2 seconds remaining as F&M carried an 11-7 advantage into the fourth period.
In the final 15 minutes of play, F&M peppered Mules' goalie Gavin Crescenzo with seven shots forcing the freshman goalie to make six saves while allowing a score to Welsh with 2:16 remaining. Offensively, Kushay added a goal for the Mules with 8:03 left in the period for the 12-8 final.
Statistically, the Diplomats dominated the game from the opening face-off to the final horn outshooting the Mules 37-to-23 and holding a 36-24 advantage in ground balls while face-off specialist Matt Capone (Jr., Scarsdale, NY/Scarsdale) won 20-of-23 face-offs he contested. In goal, Mike Sartorius (Jr., Summit, NJ/Summit) made six saves to earn the win, while Crescenzo took the loss.
Franklin & Marshall (7-2, 2-1 Centennial Conference) will continue the season on April 17 at Washington College. Game time is set for 1:30 p.m.
Period 1-2-3-4 -- Total
Franklin & Marshall (7-2, 2-1 CC) 4-3-4-1 -- 12
Muhlenberg (5-4, 0-3 CC) 2-1-4-1 -- 8
Goals:
F&M - Vandy Vanderwarker (3), Steve Welsh (2), Bas Solleveld (2), Matt Mondonedo (1), Sean Duffy (1), JB Robichau (1), Chris Wathey (1), Cyrus Adams (1)
Muhlenberg - James Robinson (3), Galen Marsh (2), John Kushay (2), Justin Hollander (1)
Assists:
F&M - Steve Welsh (2), Chris Wathey (2), Vandy Vanderwarker (1), Kevin Kohl (1), Dave Taler (1)
Muhlenberg - Kevin Kessler (2), Mike Tentindo (1), Justin Hollander (1)
Goalies (Saves/Goals/Minutes)
F&M - Mike Sartorius (6/8/60)
Muhlenberg - Gavin Crescenzo (18/12/60)
Ground Balls: F&M 36, Muhlenberg 24
Shots: F&M 37, Muhlenberg 23
Extra Man: F&M 0-for-2, Muhlenberg 1-for-4
Faceoffs: F&M 20-of-24, Muhlenberg 4-of-24
Clears: F&M 16-of-18, Muhlenberg 10-of-20
