LEXINGTON, Va. - Despite a gradual comeback attempt that spanned three quarters, the VMI lacrosse team fell in a close matchup at home with Wagner College by a 7-6 score Tuesday afternoon at Drill Field 2.
A closely contested match saw each team register 30 shot attempts with Wagner collecting 14 saves to VMI's 13. Both teams also committed 16 turnovers and had nearly identical clear attempts as the Seahawks converted on 17 of 22 while the Keydets were successful on 18 of 21.
VMI showed hustle by earning 36 groundballs to Wagner's 26 and won 11 of 17 faceoffs, but the Seahawks converted on two of three extra-man opportunities to help seal the win.
“It's tough to be on the losing end of a one-goal loss when you give a great effort like today,” said VMI head coach Jon Birsner. “But this was another example of the margin of error at this level. We gave them a lot of uneven situations today by committing poor penalties and not matching up correctly transitioning to defense.
“We'll address and fix those areas because besides that, I thought our six-on-six defense played well out there, especially anchored by a great performance by our goalie, Joe Riccadonna. He continues to get better each week and that's a credit to him and our goalies coach, Brendan Schroeder's, hard work.
Wagner jumped ahead to a 4-2 lead in the opening quarter after an Andrew Streilein score and a pair of goals from the McMenamin brothers, Michael and William. Dale Mattice and Cody Sheetz earned goals for the Keydets in the quarter before Wagner's Connor Davis and Patrick McMenamin earned Seahawk goals early in the second period.
The Keydets trimmed to lead to go into the half with only a 5-4 deficit following goals from Sheetz and Wesley Sanders, who owns a team-high 13 on the year.
The Seahawks scored two goals in the third quarter to zero for the Keydets, while VMI reversed the trend in the fourth by scoring two goals to Wagner's zero in the comeback effort.
“I was pleased to get 21 out of our 30 shots on goal today, especially since we had a short week again to practice against their zone, but you can't expect to win games at this level by only scoring six goals,” Birsner said. “We need to assert ourselves more on offense and finish our opportunities.”
The Keydets return to action Saturday with a road game at Mount St. Mary's. The first faceoff is slated for a noon start in Emmitsburg, Maryland.
