For Immediate Release – 4/30/16 - #338
WildCats Suffer Overtime Heartbreak in Finale

GREENSBORO, NC – Andrew McDonagh scored at the 2:14 mark of overtime, as Guilford College defeated the Randolph College men's lacrosse team 6-5 on Saturday.  With the win, GC wrapped up the sixth-seed in the upcoming Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) tournament.  The 'Cats just missed out on a berth, as their historic season comes to an end.

The first quarter saw both teams start slowly in the low-scoring contest.  Turnovers were forced on both sides, as Luke Hunley caused one early in the game.  Neither team could put a shot on net, as the WildCats had several attempts on goal, but all went wide.  However, at 8:33 Andrew Risse did what he has done for four years.  He found Andrew Gleitz on the crease, and Gleitz finished the goal to take the lead and tie the record for most goals in a career for a WildCat.

The Quakers went on the offensive, but their shots were not near the cage.  Guilford retained possession until Caleb Shockley forced a turnover, which was followed by Risse causing one as well.  Randolph held possession for over a minute, before Corey Nehlig wound up and fired a shot in the back of the net for a 2-0 advantage.

The next 17 minutes featured an outage in scoring, as the defenses played very well.  Cam Davis picked off a pass at the end of the first quarter, before being called on to make his first save of the game at the start of the second.  He would stop two more attempts that came his way, while Baden James forced another turnover during the period.  However, GC played just as well on the other end, and the score remained 2-0 at the half.

Despite being blanked for 30 minutes, Guilford came out of the half strong.  The Quakers took advantage of two EMO situations, and added two more in even strength, in under three minutes to take a 4-2 lead.

However, the WildCats did not go away.  Right before the end of the third, Ryan Campbell found the back of the cage to bring the 'Cats within one heading into the fourth.  Soon after the start of the fourth, Graham Southwick hit Shane Soghomonian with a pass.  Soghomonian scored his first of the game to tie the score at four.

But Guilford came right back.  McDonagh caught a pass from Dylan Haupt to take the lead back with 11:54 remaining.  GC had a man-advantage on the next possession but Davis stopped the one shot he faced, as the 'Cats regained possession.  After Randolph worked the ball around in order for the penalty to expire, Campbell hit Risse with a pass, and Risse tied the score at five with 9:29 left in the game.

The rest of regulation featured several saves by Guilford goalie Parker Styles, and a few caused turnovers.  Spencer Matthews and McKinzie Garnett each forced one.  It set up the extra four-minutes, where the Quakers had the first chance.  James knocked the stick out of Alex Brownlee's hands, giving Randolph a chance.  The WildCats shot was saved, and McDonagh came down and scored from 10 yards for the win.

Anthony Hardy had a great day at the 'X', winning five of his six attempts.  He was aided by Matthews' and Campbell's three ground balls apiece.  Mitch MacDonald also picked up three.

Randolph (8-9 overall, 2-7 ODAC) finishes its season with the most wins in program history.  It also brings the end of a career for the six seniors.  Risse leaves the program as the career leader in points and assists, while Gleitz leaves tied for first in goals, and third in points.  Nehlig tallied in his final game, while Brian Crosby provided great defense.  Davis scooped up four ground balls to go along with his eight saves.  He leaves the program second all-time in saves.  James ended the game with three caused turnovers.  The total gives him 53 on the year, the most in the ODAC and the second-highest total in the country.

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