McCANDLESS, Pa. - Senior attacker Mitchell Bachman scored half (8) of LRU's 16 goals as the Redhawks went on to win their home opener against Franciscan, 16-9. It's been 1,411 days since La Roche last won at the Baierl Athletic Complex (4/22/2016), but that streak is no more. The Redhawks have won back-to-back games for the first time since 2015. La Roche moves to 2-1 on the season.
AMCC Defensive Player of the Week, Sophomore goalkeeper Chris Sylvis, was a brick wall in net for LRU. The Bethal Park native stopped 18 of 27 shots he faced (.667 SV%), squashing numerous one on one opportunities. It's the second highest save percentage of Sylvis' career.
Senior attacker Brent Burkhouse scored three of his five goals in the first period, rattling off three straight in the final five minutes of the half. Burkhouse added three ground balls and two caused turnovers. He has scored three or more goals in all three games this season, totalling 12 so far.
Junior midfielder Austen Lunt dished out a game-high six assists to three different Redhawks and added a goal of his own (unassisted).
AMCC Offensive Player of the Week, Senior midfielder Shawn McDanel, picked up a game-high 16 ground balls, winning 16 of 24 faceoffs he was in. McDanel also contributed a goal and an assist. He has recorded 14 or more ground balls in every game this season and has scored in all three contests.
When asked about what today's win means for the program, Head Coach Zach Wilfong noted "It's definitely a special moment for our program, but especially for our seniors and upper classman. These guys have been through a lot over the past several seasons, but those experiences have motivated them to push beyond their boundaries.We've spent the past several months, since that very first fall meeting, focusing on how we want to change our culture, our work ethic, and our attention to the small details. We still have a long season ahead of us, but there's no doubt that our program is taking steps in the right direction. We have to stay humble, but most importantly we have to stay hungry."
Final: La Roche: 16, Franciscan: 9
Records: La Roche (2-1), Franciscan (0-3)
How it Happened
The Barons garnered the momentum early, scoring the games first two goals between the 8:40 and 6:15 marks of the first period. Then, Brent Burkhouse became a one man wrecking ball and erupted for three goals in the final four minutes and thirty seconds of the first to put the Redhawks ahead 3-2.
The second period was all Mitchell Bachman. He scored all five of the Redhawks goals, getting an assist from Richardson and two from Lunt. The Barons split Bachman's goals with one of their own and scored in the final minute of the second. La Roche headed into the break up 8-4.
Franciscan scored the first two goals of the third to pull within two, but that is as close as they got. From that point, La Roche would go on to outscore the Barons 8-3.
Inside the Box Score
La Roche out-shot the visitors, 50-44 (29-27 in shots on goal).
LRU picked up 30 ground balls to FSU's 18.
The Redhawks scored on 4 of 12 man up opportunities and fought off the two they committed.
Robert Richardson added a goal and an assist to the stat sheet. The Sophomore transfer has scored and assisted in each of the last two games.
NEXT UP: Men's lacrosse heads north to New York to face Keuka this Saturday, March 7th. Game-time is set for 1:00 p.m.
