COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Wabash College men's lacrosse team saw its rally attempt come up short Wednesday evening, falling 10-5 on the road to Capital University in a nonconference contest.
The Little Giants (2-5) received goals from five different players but were unable to overcome a decisive run by the Comets (2-4) in the second quarter that created the separation on the scoreboard.
Capital struck first with a pair of goals from Jess Lipp in the opening quarter. Lipp scored the first goal of the game with 7:42 remaining in the period and added another with 4:52 left to give the Comets a 2-0 lead.
Wabash responded late in the first quarter when Will Sorg found the net unassisted with 2:42 remaining to trim the deficit to 2-1 heading into the second period.
The Little Giants pulled even early in the second quarter. Zach McMichael converted a pass from Austin Clark with 14:10 remaining in the half to tie the match at 2-2.
Capital answered with a three-goal run over the final six minutes before halftime. Aiden Evans started the surge with an unassisted goal at the 6:21 mark before Lipp added his third goal of the evening with 2:44 remaining. Colton Woods closed the half with a goal at 1:53 to give the Comets a 5-2 lead at the break.
The Comets added to the margin early in the third quarter with a man-advantage goal by Charlie Howenstine, assisted by Evans, to make the score 6-2.
Clark stopped the run with an unassisted goal for Wabash with 11:22 remaining in the third quarter. Capital responded with two more goals by Lipp to extend the lead to 8-3.
The Little Giants mounted a brief rally late in the third period. Sam Santiago scored an unassisted goal with 3:45 left in the quarter before Ethan Veigel finished a pass from Evan Bair with five seconds remaining to cut the deficit to 8-5 heading into the fourth quarter.
Capital pulled away in the final period with a pair of goals. Mason Miller scored on an extra-man opportunity with 12:35 remaining, assisted by Woods, and Anthony Carusone added the final goal of the night with 2:19 left to set the final score at 10-5.
Clark finished with a goal and an assist to lead Wabash with two points. Sorg, McMichael, Santiago, and Veigel each added a goal for the Little Giants, while Bair recorded an assist.
Capital held a 39-29 advantage in total shots and placed 21 shots on goal compared with 10 for Wabash. The Comets also controlled possession at the faceoff stripe, winning 17 of 19 draws.
Lipp led all players with five goals on 13 shots, including eight shots on goal. Woods contributed a goal and two assists, while Evans added a goal and an assist.
Defensively for Wabash, Cooper Navarro recorded three caused turnovers and three ground balls. Goalkeeper Colin Krekeler played all 60 minutes and made 11 saves while collecting six ground balls.
Capital goalkeeper Wyatt Stemler earned the victory with five saves.
Capital finished 2-for-5 on extra-man opportunities, while Wabash was unsuccessful on its lone man-advantage attempt. The Comets also held a 32-21 edge in ground balls.
The Little Giants will open North Coast Athletic Conference play on Saturday, March 21, traveling to face John Carroll University at noon.
