Lexington, Ky. – The Transylvania men's lacrosse team witnessed four hat-tricks from different Pioneers to overpower the Mount St. Joseph University Lions and set a new season-high in scoring in a 23-1 victory at Pat Deacon Stadium on Tuesday night.
The first Heartland Collegiate Lacrosse Conference contest of the year moves the Pioneers up to 8-2 overall and 1-0 in conference play, while Mount St. Joseph drops to 2-4 and 0-1 on the year.
The Pioneers wasted no time getting the ball rolling as Peyton Bray ripped the opening faceoff away and rifled a shot that ushered in the scoring just seven seconds into the game. Bray's initial salvo set the tone as first quarter hat-tricks from Ethan Patton and Andrew Hamill along with an opening-quarter pair of goals from Kayd Aquino saw the Pioneers storm away with an 11-0 lead at the first break in action.
The second quarter was highlighted by an excellent team goal as Connor Davis took a feed from Patton to secure his first goal of the season for the Pioneers. Freshman Jack Babb opened his account for the Pioneers on the counterattack by finishing an assist from T.J. Toivenen. A completed hat trick from Aquino and a score from Corbyn Buchart pushed the Pioneer advantage to 16-0 at halftime.
Transylvania maintained the relentless pressure into the second half as Babb bagged a second goal for two scores on the night. Aquino matched a career-high in goals scored as his netted his fourth goal deep into the period. A solo effort from Kaden Bates and the lone goal for Mount St. Joseph swelled the Transylvania edge to 19-1.
As the fourth quarter began, the pace slowed for the Pioneers as they looked to remain efficient on both halves of the field. Bryce Lowe became the fourth and final Pioneer to complete his hat trick as he found the back of the net early in the final quarter.
The goals continued to mount for the Pioneers as John Downing intercepted a Lion pass and weaved through multiple defenders to notch his first goal as a Pioneer, and the 23rd of the night for the Pioneers.
Retaining possession off of the faceoffs were a massive element to the Pioneers' success as they went a perfect 33 for 33 on the evening.
Transylvania will look to remain hot and earn its fourth straight victory after a three-week hiatus when they travel to Earlham College on Saturday, April 24th. The second HCLC game of the season is scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m. at Darrell Beane Stadium in Richmond, Indiana.
For more information on Transylvania men's lacrosse, follow @Transy_Lax on Twitter
