The LaGrange men's lacrosse team defeated Centenary 18-11 for its first ever win Friday night in Callaway Stadium. It was the first ever home game also for the Panthers (1-1).
"I'm extremely proud of all of the guys and the hard work they have put in to get us to this point," said Coach Brandon Sewell. "Winning the first game in school history is something we'll never forget, and we're looking forward to many more! I also want to thank President McAlexander and Coach Claybrook for giving us the opportunity to build a lacrosse program here at LaGrange College."
The visiting Gents scored in the first minute of the game. LC needed only 37 seconds to answer. Tareyon Delgado scored unassisted for the first of his four goals. Centenary built a 4-2 lead with 10:22 left in the period. The Panthers scored the final three goals of the period to take the lead for good, 5-4. Delgado had two of the goals, sandwiched around Isaac Fuller's first goal of the season.
After Centenary tied the game 5-5, the Panthers closed out the half with four straight goals to take control of the game. Robert Hunt started the run with a man advantage goal. After goals by Ben Bryan and Fuller, Hunt got the final goal of the half with 1:15 remaining fpr a 9-5 lead.
LC's lead grew in the third period. Bryan, Delgado, Fuller, and Hunt all scored as the Panthers went up 13-7. In the final period, Fuller tied for team honors with Delgado with his fourth goal. He also had three assists in the game. Ben Bryan's third goal of the game gave LC its biggest lead, 16-8, with 10 minutes left. Jackson Bonner's goal closed out the Panthers' scoring, matching its largest lead, 18-10. The Gents scored in the final minute for the 18-11 final.
Jacob Jeffords dominated the face-offs. Jeffords controlled 28 of the 32 face-offs and finished with a game-high 17 ground balls. The Panthers finished with a 49-19 advantage in ground balls. LC was 13-of-14 on clears, compared to Centenary's 9-of-17. Isaac Bohrer got the win in goal for the Panthers. He allowed seven goals in 47:18 playing time and had nine saves.
The Panthers host Centenary on Sunday at 1 p.m. in Callaway Stadium.
