MEMPHIS - The Rhodes College men's lacrosse team picked up a nice late season conference win against Millsaps College, as they defeated the Majors 15-4 at Crain Field.
It was Senior Day for the Lynx, and they honored Tat Whitley, Cooper Robinson, Alex Morse, Andrew Salamunovich, and Matt Vavrek who helped build a strong foundation for the men's lacrosse program from its inception just 4 years ago.
Rhodes amassed a staggering 50 shots over the course of the game, and had a perfect day clearing the ball as they went 19-19 on clears. Another big story line from the game comes in Rhodes winning the battle from the face off x, winning 13-22 draws. Millsaps was not without their own opportunities as they had 9 man up attempts throughout the game, but could not cash in.
Following the opening face off, Millsaps jumped out to an early 2-0 lead with a pair of goals by Sam Snyder. But the Lynx came roaring back as Matthew Harmon Jones scorched one past the Millsaps defense following a feed from Ryan Fennelly.
About a minute later Ryan Fennelly hooked up with Mike Knudsen for another goal for the Lynx, bringing the game to a 2-2 tie midway through the first. The Lynx kept their run going with 2 more goals, one from Fennelly and another by Tommy Reingruber with both goals assisted by Tyler Milwit.
Milsaps looked as though they were going to keep the game tight, with a goal by Simon Sherman to bring the game to 4-3 with 2 minutes left in the first quarter. Just 20 seconds later a goal by John Tooher and later Tyler Milwit put the Lynx in the driver's seat for the rest of the half. At the end of the first quarter the Lynx held a tight 6-3 lead.
In the second quarter, the Lynx took control of the game with goals by Tyler Milwit and David Jones, and finished out the half with an 8-3 lead.
Coming out of the half, Rhodes turned on cruise control and held the Majors to just one goal in the half, while scoring seven more to bring the lead to 15-4 by the end of the game.
Tyler Milwit had another fantastic game for the Lynx, his 4 goals and 4 assists brought his season point total to 37. Ryan Fennelly also had himself a game with 3 goals and 4 assists bringing his totals to 51 points on the year. John Tooher's 3 goals capped off another great performance by the Lynx attack, whose play this season has cemented them as one of the best attack units in the SAA.
Defensively the Lynx played great team defense, with standouts coming from the always-sturdy play of junior captain John Wancowicz who had 3 groundballs and 2 caused turnovers. Freshmen long-stick Matthew Simon had 3 groundballs a caused turn over and an assist. Goaltender Cameron Link had a quiet day in cage, as he only saw 10 shots on the day.
With the win today Rhodes moves to 11-2 on the season, and 4-1 in the Southern Athletic Association. Next weekend the Lynx play two games on the road, as they take on Centre College, and Sewanee in the final weekend of the regular season.
