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NEWARK, Del. - - The defense clamped down in the second half, aiding the Wilmington University men's lacrosse team to a 17-6 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference victory over Bridgeport on Saturday afternoon.
It was an 8-5 game going into the halftime break, but the Wildcats didn't allow another goal until the final seconds of the game. It is the 26th consecutive regular season CACC victory for the Wildcats, dating back to the 2023 season, as they are now 8-4 overall and 6-0 in CACC play.
The scoring didn't get started until halfway through the first quarter, when Tyler Quinn broke the ice in transition with 6:37 showing on the clock. Kyle Parker made it 2-0 by muscling in front with 5:35 to play. Bridgeport got on the board with 4:58 to play but Ian Betts ended the quarter with a goal to make it 3-1.
Wilmington scored three straight to start the second quarter, getting back-to-back spectacular efforts from Santiago Figueroa to make it 6-1. Bridgeport answered with back-to-back goals but then Brian McGarvey won a faceoff and took it to the house to make it 7-3. Bridgeport scored with four seconds left in the quarter, bringing the Purple Knights to within 8-5 at the halftime break.
After the break, the Wilmington defense clamped down, only allowing six shots in the third quarter and forcing six turnovers. Josh Weston scored two goals in the third while Joh Lovely and Ian Betts added goals as well, giving the Wildcats a 12-5 lead going into the fourth.
Five different Wildcats scored in the fourth quarter, getting goals from Andrew Dzubak, Patrick Craig, Max Runcer, Gavin Paraschak, and Domanik West to take as large as a 17-5 lead. The defense was nearly flawless in the second half, but Bridgeport broke the drought with a goal with 13 seconds left, settling the final score, 17-6.
Bridgeport came with the best faceoff percentage in the CACC, but the Wildcats battled to win the game at the spot, 15-11, including 7-of-11 in the second half. Brian McGarvey carried the load for the Wildcats by going 11-for-16. Connor Widmer went 4-for-7 as well.
The offense was led by Josh Weston's three goals while Andrew Dzubak had a goal and dished out three assists. Ian Betts and Santiago Figueroa each had two goals while Kyle Parker had a goal and an assist. Gunner Settar and Logan Place anchored the defense with three caused turnovers each while Julian Businsky led the back line with four ground balls. Daniel Flynn made 11 saves in goal for the win.
The Wildcats have two games remaining in the regular season and have a week off until they are back in action. They head to Dominican next Saturday with the opening faceoff set for 3:30 p.m.