MLX Fall in Season Opener in Georgia
Waleska, GA — Starting a new season for the second time in program history, William Penn men’s lacrosse started against the best there might be in the NAIA. Traveling to Georgia, the team faced the Eagles of Reinhardt, the National Champions from the last tournament in 2019. The #1 team showed the Statesmen what the future could hold for WPU, as the Eagle claimed a 25-4 victory. William Penn will drop to 0-1 to start the year.
Ryan Swarts (Fr., Boise, Idaho, Industrial Technology) took the opening draw but the navy and gold would barely touch the ball after that for some minutes. The Eagles may have took their time to set up their attack, but they created strong chances, forcing Jeremy Smith (Sr., Camano Island, Wash., Sociology) into a couple early stops. Almost four-minutes in and the pressure continued to mount until, after a failed clearance by the Statesmen, Reinhardt opened the scoring with 11:47 to go in the first quarter.
The rest of the first quarter was a similar story. The home side won every faceoff and took 17 shots compared to two for William Penn. Smith came up with four big stops but Reinhardt led 6-0 after the first 15-minutes.
The second quarter was similar, with Smith making six saves on 21 shots by the Eagles. Despite seven goals going in for the top-team in the NAIA, the navy and gold finally got on the board. After a stop, the clearance from Smith found its way to Max Standage (Fr., Phoenix, Ariz., Business Management), and the long-stick midfielder coasted from one end to the other. Finding little resistance, he drove the net and collected his first tally of the year. With something to show for almost 30-minutes of defense, the Statesmen went into halftime trailing 13-1.
Eric Garigan (Fr., Tucson, Ariz., Political Science) took over in the second half and once more, the keeper for WPU felt under siege The Eagles would score seven more times in the third, but Garigan would make six beautiful saves during that span.
The offense began to find a little spark as well, as WPU took three shots in the third courtesy of Joshua Bell (Fr., Castle Rock, Colo.), Boston Romero (Fr., Las Vegas, Nev., Business), and Tim Pennington (Fr., Boise, Idaho, Biology). With some shots on the board and down 20-1, WPU took their honor into the fourth quarter looking for some positives to take into the next game.
It took two minutes and change into the final frame for the Statesmen to strike again. Collin Baliva (Fr., St. Louis, Mo.), was allowed to roam forward and he released on a heater that made it 21-2. Reinhardt would score a couple more times before Pennington snapped home his first goal as a Statesmen. Baliva would add the final goal for WPU with under a minute to go, although the scoreboard favored the Eagles 25-4 at the final horn.
The Statesmen were outshot 61-14 on the night. The two goalies combined for 16 saves on 41 shots faced, with Smith making 10 saves and Garigan six. Ashton Johnson (Fr., Oregon City, Ore., General Accounting) led the team with three shots along with Pennington. Baliva scored on each of his shots.
“This game was a learning experience on a lot of fronts,” said Head Coach Luke Christiansen. “We saw up close what it takes to be a three-time reigning National Champion. As the youngest team in the country, we have a great opportunity to be the most improved team over the course of the season. It all starts now.”
Next Up: Another tough matchup awaits tomorrow, as the Statesmen will face Tennessee Wesleyan (RV) on February 5 at 2 p.m.
