McDaniel Uses 6-0 Stretch to Down Virginia Wesleyan

WESTMINSTER, Md. – Nick DiBernardo (Towson, Md./Calvert Hall) and Ben Yancheski (Phoenix, Md./Dulaney) each netted hat tricks to lead McDaniel to a 9-6 non-conference men's lacrosse victory over Virginia Wesleyan on Saturday.

DJ Rickels (Forest Hill, Md./Boys Latin School of Maryland) added a team-best four points for the Green Terror (1-2) with a goal and three assists.

Travis Puls tallied three times to lead the Marlins (1-3), who also received a goal and two assists from Adam Nycz.

Trailing 3-2 on a Nycz goal with 6:36 to play in the second quarter, Skippy Clary (Baltimore, Md./Catonsville) tallied his first of the season, finishing a solo run to even the game with 3:07 on the clock.

Just 34 seconds later, Rickels found Yancheski to give McDaniel the lead for good.

Clary found Yancheski 48 seconds later to stretch the lead to 5-3 at the intermission.

A Rickels-to-Michael Young (Pylesville, Md./North Harford) goal at the 8:51 mark of the third period made it a three-goal game before DiBernardo capped his three-goal game two minutes later off one of two Deane Mellor (Chadds Ford, Pa./Wilmington Friends School [Del.]) feeds.

Just 53 seconds later, Yancheski made it a pair of hat tricks for the Green Terror, converting from Rickels for an 8-3 advantage.

Nycz hit Puls, who found the back of the net 2:03 into the fourth quarter to break a 23-mintue, 39-second scoring drought.

Rickels picked up the ball off a Virginia Wesleyan miscue a minute later and whistled home his third goal of the season to reestablish the five-goal advantage with a man-up tally at the 11:36 mark.

Markers from Puls and Brock Waddell in the final 4:59 of the game set the final margin.

Mikey Connors broke up a scoreless contest, finishing off a Nycz feed with 6:37 to play in the first quarter.

DiBernardo evened the game with 1:44 showing in the period but Puls tallied with 5.5 seconds remaining to put his team back on top.

A DiBernado shot from the top of the box as the second of two man-up opportunities was expiring knotted the game at 2-all with 7:49 to play in the second quarter.

Matt Dean (Glen Burnie, Md./St. Vincent Pallotti) won 11 of the 19 faceoffs for McDaniel while Young and Matt Mummert (Dillsburg, Pa./Northern) picked up five ground balls each.

Brad Motley (Fallston, Md./Fallston) made 11 saves in goal for the Green Terror.

McDaniel returns to action at St. Mary's (Md.) on Wednesday. Game time is 3:30 p.m.

2011-03-05