WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Wilmington University men's lacrosse team outscored the District of Columbia, 5-0, in the third quarter, opening a large lead in route to a 15-8 nonconference road victory on Saturday afternoon.
The home team came out and took a quick lead over the Wildcats (2-0), 3-2, in the first quarter. But the Wildcats answered with the first three goals of the second, and took a 6-4 lead into the halftime break. The game was decided in the third quarter, as the Wildcats outscored the Firebirds (2-3), 5-0, to open a 11-4 lead going into the final frame.
The Firebirds closed to as close as 13-8 with three straight goals in the fourth, but the Wildcats scored the final two marks to win their first two games of the year for the first time in the program's three-year existence.
Trailing 3-1 late in the first, Logan Stinson scored to end the first quarter trailing 3-2. The Wildcats kept the momentum going into the second quarter, scoring three-straight to take a 5-3 lead. They received goals from Giovanni Marino, Austin Wood, and Jared Wagenhoffer to hold a 5-3 lead with 5:30 to play before the half. The Firebirds stopped the streak with a goal, but Keeshawn Bell closed the half with a goal with 1:25 left, as the Wildcats took a 6-4 lead into the locker room.
Out of the break, the scoring continued for the Wildcats, as Marino scored back-to-back goals to put the visitors up 8-4. Keeshawn Bell scored a goal off a feed from Dalton Ziemba for the 9-4 lead before scoring another goal with 5:39 to play to go up 10-4. The scoring ended in the quarter with a Noah Tuohey goal, capping the run at six-straight as the Wildcats led 11-4 after three quarters.
After the Firebirds scored, Marino and Jared Pheasant scored back-to-back goals to go up 13-5, their largest lead of the afternoon. The District of Columbia scored three straight goals to close the gap to 13-8, but it wasn't enough as Nico Torres scored his first collegiate career goal and Noah Tuohey finished the game with a goal, putting the final margin at 15-8.
Giovanni Marino led the Wildcats with four goals while Keeshawn Bell added a hat trick with three goals. Noah Tuohey finished with two goals and an assist. Noah Given stopped 19 shots in 52 minutes while Nick Race made three saves in the final eight minutes.
The Wildcats outshot the Firebird, 45-39, and went 13-of-15 on clear chances in the game.
The Wildcats remain on the road for their next contest, as they visit Barton next Saturday, February 29. The opening face-off is set for 1:00 p.m. in North Carolina.