Garnet Offense Too Hot to Handle
BALTIMORE, Pa. -- The Swarthmore men's lacrosse team (1-0) started the 2008 season with a convincing 7-2 win over non-conference opponent Randolph-Macon (1-1) in Baltimore, Maryland. Garnet junior attack Stelios Wilson and sophomore attack Gavin Musynske each recorded a hat trick and an assist to lead the way for the Garnet.
Musynske (Floral Park, N.Y. Floral Park) put Swarthmore on the board early with an unassisted goal just 3:19 into the game. Later in the quarter, Musynske connected a pass from Wilson to give the Garnet a 2-0 lead after the first quarter. The both team’s defense stepped up to the challenge for scoreless second quarter score remained the 2-0 going into halftime.
Despite the dropping temperature, the Swarthmore offense heated up in the third quarter, scoring four goals to seal the victory. Wilson (Moorestown, NJ / Moorestown) converted on a pass from midfielder Anthony Phalen ’10 (Needham, Mass. / Needham) at 2:14 into the second half, and then scored again just 39 seconds later on a feed from Musynske to push the score to 4-0. Wilson returned the favor five minutes later, assisting Musynske’s goal good for a hat-trick. scoring with 3:29 remaining in the third off a pass from midfielder Will Predun ’09 (Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. / Cold Spring Harbor).
Randolph-Macon was able to convert a man-up opportunity to register their first goal of the contest in the third, and scored again with 4:51 remaining in the fourth, but it was not enough. Junior midfielder Todd Friedman (Miami, Fla. / Miami-Palmetto) capped off the Garnet scoring with an unassisted goal with 3:52 remaining in the game to push the score to 7-2.
The Swarthmore defense shut down Randolph-Macon, allowing the Yellow Jackets only four shots in the first half. Senior netminder Frank Mazzucco (Redding, Conn. / Joel Barlow) recorded five saves for Swarthmore, while sophomore Kevin Friedenberg (Needham, Mass. / Needham) tallied three saves. Predun picked up a game-high five ground balls.
The Garnet return to action next Saturday when they host the United States Merchant Marine Academy at 2:00 p.m. on Clothier Field.