Granville, Ohio -- Time to start checking the weather in Massachusetts. 

At the moment, it looks like 70 degrees and rainy next week in the northern Commonwealth, but on Saturday in the Buckeye State, the University of Lynchburg men's lacrosse team enjoyed perfect weather as the Hornets downed Denison 14-8. 

In the first quarter, the Hornets jumped out to a 4-0 lead thanks to a pair of goals from Finn Schmidt and hard-nose defense on the other end of the field. Schmidt's first goal came on a man-up opportunity, and Dylan Wolfe added another man-up score. Cole Nestor also scored in the first for the third time in his career. 

Wolfe scored twice more to string together a seven-goal run to open the game.

Denison scored four times before the end of the half, but Lynchburg's toughness defensively and fluid offense kept the Big Red at bay. Dom Zingo noted Lynchburg's focus coming into the game was to win each individual matchup and play physical. Zingo picked up five ground balls and caused three turnovers while holding his matchup to two goals. The Lutherville, Md. native pointed out the two goals came with Lynchburg a man down and the other with the Hornets in zone. 

Head coach Steve Koudelka also emphasized winning each quarter, and with goals from Spencer Vandenberg, Grant Voigt, and a fourth from Wolfe, the Hornets won the third quarter 3-2. 

With a 12-6 lead, Lynchburg used goals from Vandenberg and Wolfe to seal the victory. With 30 seconds left in the game, Koudelka called a timeout and subbed on the rest of his active roster, and he was proud to get 31 of his 32 players time on the field.

Wolfe led the way with five goals, and Rust put up two scores and two assists. Hadley made 11 saves on 18 shots (61.1%). He has put up a 60%+ save percentage in six of the last seven contests. 

The Hornets (15-6) have won 15 games or more for the third-straight season. Lynchburg also held its NCAA opponent to eight goals for the first time since a Round 3 victory over Stevens in 2021. 

With the pair of victories over the weekend, the Hornets improved their conference-best winning percentage in the NCAA tournament to .500 (15 wins in 30 games). 

Lynchburg takes on No. 1 Tufts on Saturday, May 20 at 2 p.m. in Medford, Mass. for a quarterfinal matchup. The Hornets previously made the quarterfinals in 2021 and will make its sixth quarterfinal appearance. 

Two-time defending national champion Rochester Institute of Technology and Middlebury will also be in Massachusetts next weekend looking for a a trip to the championship in Philadelphia on Saturday, May 28. 

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--LYN--