ALBION, Mich. – The Albion College men's lacrosse team hosted the Fighting Scots from the College of Wooster Saturday, Feb. 8, 2020. It was a perfect day for lacrosse in Michigan: grey and snowy. Both squads embraced the elements and showcased their lacrosse prowess combining for over 30 goals. Albion (1-0, 0-0) would prevail over Wooster (0-1, 0-0) 18-16, scoring seven goals in an exciting second period of action.
The College of Wooster jumped to a hot start putting three goals in the back of the net in a little over six minutes. However, the Britons would end the scoring drought at the 8:04 mark of the first quarter when sophomore Jace Conley found teammate Gerald Haadsma, their first of many connections in the afternoon. Minutes later, Conley would score a goal with a man-advantage, swinging momentum towards Albion. The Purple and Gold established their first lead at 11:05 when Haadsma dished out an assist to Conley for another man-advantage goal.
Albion controlled the pace of play in the second quarter, outscoring the Fighting Scots 7-3. Albion continued to exploit the Wooster defense by going on a 4-0 run to start third quarter action highlighted by Fernando Robinson's goal after winning the face-off. The Britons gained their biggest lead of the day after freshman Steven Foran found Conley to go up 13-7.
Wooster responded by scoring four goals in the first five minutes of the fourth period, one coming just eight seconds into the quarter. A Scots' goal by Cooper Pewitt at 10:16 to brought Wooster to within one goal with Albion holding on to a 15-14 edge. Both teams went back and forth for the remainder of the game. The gritty play late in the fourth was showcased by freshman Sam Puzevic as he stepped up in the waning minutes, netting two for the Britons. Albion College ultimately came out on top, 18-16.
The College of Wooster outshot Albion College 50-to-34 and went 3-for-4 on extra-man opportunities. The Purple and Gold finished the afternoon going 24-for-36 from the face-off X and scooped up 47 ground balls.
Puzevic had a productive game scoring four goals on six shots. Sophomore Fernando Robinson registered 23 face-off wins out of 34 while grabbing 14 ground balls. Haadsma did a little bit of everything posting four goals, four assists and even notched a face-off win. Junior Collin Bowers shared the ball dishing out three assists on the day. Conley frustrated the Scots, attaining six goals on six shots and two assists. Senior goalkeeper Trevor McManus earned the victory for the Britons stopping 18-of-34 (52.9%) shots faced.
Head Coach Jake DeCola admired the growth he's seen in his team over the past few months, noting: "I've really enjoyed watching this group get better and better every day. It was a very exciting game to coach. Wooster has a great squad, and I give them a lot of credit. They had an impressive rally, but our leaders rose to the occasion. Now we're focused on our next opponent."
The Britons will host Augustana College next Saturday, Feb. 15, at the Detroit Country Day School. The last time these two schools met, Albion finished on top 14-8 back in 2018.
For the latest information on the team, follow @Albion_MLax on Twitter and Instagram. General athletics news can also be found @gobrits on Twitter, AlbionAthletics on Instagram and Albion College Athletics on Facebook.
Joe and Julie Serra have given a $5 million leadership gift to launch a fundraising initiative to make two dreams a reality at Albion College. The first is a newly expanded fitness and student activity facility at the site of the current Dow Recreation and Wellness Center. The second is a new or renovated competition facility for the volleyball, men's basketball and women's basketball teams that currently call Kresge Gymnasium home.
The College is continuing to raise funds in support of both projects. To learn more, call 517/629-0446 or email advancement@albion.edu