Box Score Sewanee, Tenn. – After a nearly 12-month hiatus, the Transylvania men's lacrosse team returned to the field for the first time on Saturday afternoon and picked up from where it left off with a resounding 16-7 season-opening win over the Sewanee Tigers at Hardee-McGee Field.
In a game that represented new beginnings and extended careers for veteran players, a freshman making his collegiate debut brought the thunder from the opening face-off as Andrew Hamill led the Pioneers with five goals, four of which came in the decisive opening half of play.
Following a 4-2 campaign in the abbreviated 2020 season, the Pioneers unveiled a plethora of skill and productivity on both ends of the field after the longest offseason in program history. On Saturday, the Pioneers held Sewanee scoreless for the first 10 minutes while cultivating a 4-0 lead.
The first goal of the season for the Pioneers also served as the first of Hamill's career as Will Warner served up a quick pass to the freshman on a rapid-fire goal less than two minutes into the afternoon. Three minutes later, T.J. Toivonen ran the majority of the length of the field on a successful clearance and found Bryce Lowe for the first of his three goals on the day and a 2-0 Transy lead.
Dalton Hubbs joined Hamill and Lowe in the hat-trick department with Transylvania's third goal of the day less than a minute after Lowe's strike to put the Pioneers up by three scores. Corbyn Buchart took inspiration, scoring 35 seconds later, delivering a heat check shot from 20 yards away to put the Pioneers up 4-0.
The Tigers got on the scoreboard but Hamill doused the Sewanee hopes with the fifth goal of the quarter with under half a minute to go for a 5-1 Transylvania upper hand after one quarter.
Hamill scored three straight goals in a breathtaking second quarter to spot the Pioneers an 8-3 lead after his personal onslaught. Seiver Utsey added a late first-half goal to provide Transy with a 9-3 halftime advantage.
Sewanee found life to start the second half with two straight goals as the Tigers thinned Transylvania's lead to 9-5, but Toivonen claimed the next face-off and set up a high-velocity shot by Quinn Fox into the net to raise the Pioneer margin back to five goals.
Fox's goal returned momentum back to the Pioneers as Hubbs and Jack May each scored in the ensuing minutes to place the Pioneers ahead at 12-5.
The Pioneers finished off their afternoon as decisively as they began it, scoring four unanswered goals to open up the fourth quarter on the way to winning by nine.
Transylvania's win was its third straight over Sewanee and its largest margin of victory over the Tigers in the series' history. The Pioneers' 16 goals matched their highest in a season-opening game after scoring 16 goals in the 2019 season opener against Augustana (Ill.).
Michael Webb had 11 saves for the Pioneers as he moved to 1-0 on the season while Fox and Buchart each compiled two assists apiece. Toivonen and Peyton Bray each led the way with four ground balls.
The Pioneers are next scheduled to take the field on Wednesday, March 3 in Danville, Kentucky as they visit the archrival Centre College Colonels for a 7:00 p.m. face-off.
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