#20 Men’s Lacrosse flattens Emory & Henry, remains unbeaten

SALISBURY, N.C. – The 20th-ranked Catawba College men's lacrosse team steamrolled its way to a 22-1 thumping of first-year program Emory & Henry on Saturday afternoon at Shuford Stadium.

TEAM STATS

- Catawba (6-0, 2-0 SAC) launched 71 shots, its highest total in a game since at least 2012, and held the Wasps (0-6, 0-2 SAC) to 11 attempts for a mammoth 60-shot difference

- The Catawba Indians commanded a 27-16 advantage in the turnover battle, logging 11 caused turnovers

- The hosts went 14-for-16 (.875) on the clear while Emory & Henry found success on just over half, posting an 11-for-21 (.524) mark in transition

- On the dot, Dylan Cienfuegos cruised to a 9-for-10 day as Catawba drubbed the Wasps overall with 20 wins in 27 faceoffs (.741)

- Brady Gauntner got the decision, improving to 6-0, in one quarter of action; Ben LoPiccolo notched Catawba's lone save in 37:24 as Tyler Ahlvers appeared in net for the last 7:36

- Mason Buttery went the distance for E&H, recording 20 stops for a .476 save percentage

INDIVIDUAL STATS

- Frank Cetrone stacked five points on four goals and an assist, totaling a team-high seven on-target darts with two ground balls

- Devin Trzeciak and Tanner Stout put together four-point affairs with three goals and one assist apiece, while Michael Lindsey's three darts rounded out a quartet of Catawba Indians engaging in hat trickery

- Boston Rehrer had a career day in the midfield with two goals and an assist offensively, hawking the rock for four ground balls

- Harrison Braswell, Hunter Clarke and Cody Fanzo each dished out two assists as Braswell tacked on his first career goal

- Cienfuegos, thanks to his heroics on faceoffs, amassed a team-best eight ground balls while fellow specialist Cael Petroff added four pickups

- Ben Butterfield led the squad with three caused turnovers, followed by Nik Pinto who notched the first two takeaways of his Catawba career

HOW IT HAPPENED

First Quarter

- The hosts jumped on the Wasps early and often, parlaying its initial score from Garrett Simi into a 3-0 advantage with just 3:40 gone

- Catawba spoiled a pair of E&H possessions by forcing Wasp miscues, striking again as Rehrer hit Jack Hart before Andrew Crumpacker found Trzeciak to extend the gap to five and force a timeout

- Lindsey and Stout, helped by Braswell for his second dime, tossed in darts following wins on the faceoff dot by Petroff

- The blue and white received blasts from Cetrone and Crumpacker to close the quarter at a whopping 9-0

Second Quarter

- Back-and-forth with turnovers, the squads struggled to establish possession until LoPiccolo gobbled up E&H's only shot on goal and flipped the field, resulting in a Cetrone dart off a pass from Brian Garcia

- The Wasps won the ensuing faceoff, storming down the field with numbers as Collin Shell connected with Dakotah Hawkins for the guests' first goal

- Buttery denied two Cetrone darts before Rehrer snuck one in, cancelling out the Wasps' offer a minute earlier

- Catawba sent a barrage of shots at Buttery for the rest of the first half, pushing two of the next seven shots on goal past him as Peter Geraffo and Tigh Metheney joined the scorers' club before the break

Third Quarter

- In the 16 seconds after halftime, Catawba added two more goals netted by Stout and Cetrone as E&H faced a 15-1 deficit

- Xan Varner mobbed a Wasp and picked its pocket, setting up an upfield trek that culminated in a Trzeciak blast with help from Clarke

- The Bel Air, Md. product struck again midway through the frame, completing his second career hat trick after he scored four times in the season opener

- Simi and Lindsey were assisted by Fanzo and Clarke, respectively, to close the third quarter in 19-1 fashion

Fourth Quarter

- Mike Murphy continued to empty the bench, putting all of Catawba's 43 active players into the contest

- E&H was whistled for the game's first penalty, but the Catawba Indians failed to convert; the hosts did not let their second opportunity pass by as Lindsey fired home the 20th goal with 6:17 left on the clock

- Rehrer and Braswell tickled the twine to lift Catawba to a 22-1 lead that went final four minutes later

GAME NOTES

- 21 goals is the fourth-largest margin of victory in Catawba history

- One goal allowed marks the fewest in over seven years, dating back to the 24-1 win over Felician on Mar. 5, 2018

- The program has officially tied its best-ever start at 6-0; a victory next weekend secures a new record

UP NEXT

The Catawba Indians take a trip to the mountains next Saturday, Mar. 15 to face SAC foe Mars Hill at noon.