Owing Mills, Md. -- University of Lynchburg men's lacrosse graduate student Riley Mitchell made his season debut in a 15-9 win over Stevenson at the Mustang Classic on Friday night.
The 2023 first-team All-American and 2024 preseason All-American assisted on Lynchburg's second goal of the night. After Dylan Wolfe opened the scoring, Mitchell set up Riley Hastings for the score. The Hornets scored twice more in the opening period while holding Stevenson to two goals. All four of Lynchburg's first-quarter goals came from a different goal scorer.
At the end of the night, the Hornets used nine different goal scorers to take down the Mustangs on their home turf. Jake Rust led the way with his second consecutive four-goal game. He's found the back of the net 17 times just over a quarter-way through the team's 17-game season.
Spencer Vandenberg notched his first hat trick of the year after posting six in his freshman campaign last season. Vandenberg and Rust both scored twice by halftime as Lynchburg led 10-2 over the Mustangs.
The Hornets were outscored by the Mustangs in the second half, but Lynchburg's defensive effort, primarily in the first half, ensured a second consecutive victory for the Hornets. Lynchburg shut out the Mustangs in the second quarter, and Tyler Hadley made four of his eleven saves in the first half. He finished the night with a .550 save percentage and made five stops in the fourth quarter.
The Hornets only caused three turnovers on the night, but thanks to Michael Kraus' .536 faceoff percentage and Stevenson's 27 off-target shots, the Hornets didn't need to get the Mustangs to turn the ball over in order to win. Vandenberg, Wolfe, and Darren Palma recorded caused turnovers in the win as the Hornets held their opponent under 10 goals for the third time this season. Lynchburg has a +28 goal differential in its wins this season and a +18 goal differential overall.
The Hornets (3-2) are ranked 12th in the USILA poll and take on Hamilton at 3:30 p.m. in Owing Mills, Md. at the Mustang Classic.
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