Hampden-Sydney, Va. -- The 11th-ranked University of Lynchburg men's lacrosse team rushed out to an early lead and held on for a 13-10 victory at Hampden-Sydney Saturday afternoon.

Riley Mitchell led the Hornets with a hat trick, while Michael Kraus dominated at the face-off, going 18-for-26 with a game-best 12 ground balls.

After a scoreless first 4 minutes, long-stick midfielder Chris Darminio got things started for Lynchburg scoring a transition goal to extend his scoring streak to six consecutive contests. The Hornets made it a 3-0 run thanks to goals by Jake Rust and Ryan Kenney, and Lynchburg never trailed.

After a pair of H-SC goals before the first quarter's end, Darminio helped Lynchburg extend the lead early in the second by causing a turnover and assisting a Kyle Lewis goal. The Hornets made it a 7-3 lead with another run and led 7-4 at halftime.

The Tigers cut the lead to 9-8 late in the third, but Lewis scored with 15 seconds left in the quarter to give Lynchburg some breathing room.

The two teams traded goals again early in the fourth before a quick strike from Dylan Wolfe and another by Mitchell, his third of the contest, with 5:49 remaining that brought the score to its final standing.

Lewis' assist was the 54th of his season, breaking his own program record in the category. He, Kenney, and Nate Shafer all scored twice, while Darminio finished with four ground balls and three caused turnovers to go with his goal and assist. Dom Zingo also caused three turnovers and collected three ground balls.

Lynchburg (13-4, 9-1 Old Dominion Athletic Conference) will carry the second seed into the upcoming conference tournament. The Hornets will face the winner of third-seeded Roanoke and the victor in the No. 6 vs. No. 7 game, which will feature Bridgewater and Shenandoah. Washington and Lee captured the top seed and will play host to the semifinal and final rounds of the tournament in Lexington Friday and Saturday.

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--LYN--