Posted by Dustin Foote '17
The Hamilton College Continentals and the Skidmore College Thoroughbreds both came into Tuesday's men's lacrosse game with 1-4 records. While both teams had a shaky start to their seasons, the Continentals proved they were the more dominant team, with a 16-3 defeat over the Thoroughbreds.
The Continentals controlled the first half of the game, scoring eight unanswered goals. In the first quarter, Hamilton's Sam Sweet created havoc in the Skidmore defense by scoring 2 consecutive goals. His first goal came off a backdoor cut when Sweet caught the ball from teammate John Zimmerman and shot from in front of the net. For his second goal, Sweet found himself behind the net, with a one-on-one matchup. Sweet dodged to the left, and made his way around the Skidmore defender to rip a shot from just outside the crease.
The goals kept coming for the Continentals. Bryan Hopper fired a right handed rip from 15 yards out that shattered the lackluster Skidmore defense. Hopper would score again along with teammates Kurt Mingis, and Conner Morgan, making the score 8-0 in the middle of the second quarter.
The Thoroughbreds did, however, show signs of a comeback as the second quarter wound down. The offense controlled the ball very well as the game progressed, and there were many scoring chances for the team. Freshman, Jack Metzler rattled a shot off of the crossbar, and sophomore Kevin Mulvey had numerous scoring opportunities. However, the ball did not find the back of the net until senior attackmen Quinn Hawkins scored with two minutes left in the half. The momentum quickly shifted back to the Continentals when Matt Hrvatin scored with three seconds left in the half.
During the second half, the Thoroughbreds found themselves in a hole that kept getting deeper. The offense couldn't posses the ball, and the Skidmore defense was struggling against a Hamilton team that had the momentum and kept putting points up on the scoreboard. The Continentals scored six unanswered goals, making the deficit 15-1 in the middle of the fourth quarter.
Even down by a large margin, the Thoroughbreds did not put their heads down. Senior attackman Seth Berger let loose a left handed snipe, placing the ball perfectly into the top corner of the net. On the next possession, Jack Metzler '17 worked his way through the Continental defenders and fired an acrobatic, off-balance shot, resulting in a goal. Even with the score 15-3, the Thoroughbred bench was ecstatic. The team showed their resiliency and began to play one possession at a time. Unfortunately, the Thoroughbred's late, fourth-quarter run ran out of time. The final score at Wachenheim Field read 16-3, in favor of the Continentals.
With the loss, Skidmore drops to 1-5 on the season. On Saturday, the team will travel to Canton, New York, where they will face their first Liberty league opponent of the season, St. Lawrence University. The Saints are currently ranked 20th in the country and boast a record of 3-1.