University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
10-4, 6-0SoCon
Mercer
5-7, 5-1SoCon
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercer | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| Richmond | 3 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 10 |
Men's Lacrosse Wins SoCon Regular-Season Crown
04/25/2015 | Men's Lacrosse
In just its second season of varsity lacrosse, the Richmond Spiders have claimed their first regular-season conference title, defeating Mercer 10-5 at Robins Stadium to finish the regular season. The win pushes Richmond's mark to 10-4 overall, a perfect 6-0 in conference games. Mercer falls to 5-7 for the regular season, 5-1 in the SoCon.
The win extends the program's longest winning streak to four games and complete's the school's first-ever sweep of conference play. The Spiders' average score in conference was 14-5. Richmond has won six of its last seven games.
The Spiders scored first on a Cory Palmer (Atlanta, Georgia) goal at the 10:29 mark in the opening period, which was answered by a Scott Baird goal for Mercer midway through the quarter. The Spiders scored the next three goals of the first and all five second-quarter goals to lead 8-1 at the break.
Richmond scored just twice in the third quarter and did not score in the fourth, with Mercer finding the goal four times in the second half for the final score.
Redshirt senior Mickey Hofmeister (Williamsburg, Virginia / Jamestown HS) had three goals and two assists to lead all players with five points, ironically the same point-total he had to finish the regular season last year for VMI against the Spiders. It was his fourth hat trick of the season.
Sophomore Dan Ginestro (Syracuse, New York) also had three goals for the Spiders. It was his second hat trick of the season. Ginestro has nine goals and 12 points in his last three games, all Richmond wins. The game marked the eighth time in school history (fifth this season) in which two Spiders had three or more goals. Richmond is 8-0 in those games.
Sophomore J.P. Forester (Bloomfield Hills, Michigan) recorded three assists in the game. He finished the regular season leading the team goals (27), assists (19) and points (46),
The Spiders won 11 of the 18 faceoffs, including eight of 10 in the first half. Sophomore Peter Moran (Reston, Virginia / South Lakes HS) won all 11 faceoffs and collected eight ground balls in the contest.
Sophomore Benny Pugh (Powhatan, Virginia / Woodberry Forest School) made 11 saves and won his 10th game of the year. He is the goalie of record for all 16 Richmond program wins.
The Spiders reached over the .500 mark with the win all-time, with a two-year record of 16-15. The Spiders are the youngest program to reach 10 wins since Bryant in its first varsity season 2009.
By virtue of the win, the Spiders earned hosting duties for next week's Southern Conference Championships. The Spiders will host fourth-seeded Furman in the first semifinal, starting at 5 p.m. on Thursday evening, with second-seeded Mercer taking on three-seed High Point in the second semifinal at 7:30 p.m. The winners will face off in the Championship game, Saturday at 2 p.m. The semifinals will be streamed on the SoCon Digital Network, with the finals streaming live on ESPN3 on Saturday.
Richmond will look to repeat as league tournament champions and return to the NCAA Tournament with two more wins.
For brackets, times and ticket information, head to SoConSports.com
