Box Score FAYETTEVILLE, N.C.– The Guilford College men's lacrosse team (1-2, 0-0 ODAC) fought hard on the road but fell to Methodist University (1-2, 0-0), 10-7 in a non-conference matchup at Monarch Stadium on Tuesday.
As a force, Guilford earned nine points on seven goals and two assists, while dishing out 24 shots with 13 of those within the frame, and 33 ground balls.
Darius Safavi-Abbassi (Culver City, Calif.) had the honor of protecting the net, saving 13 shots against ten goals, with a .565 save percentage, moving to 1-1 on the season. Ethan Jahr got the start in goal for the Monarchs, saving six shots against seven goals, with a .462 save percentage, improving to 1-2.
Top contributors for the Quakers were
Bashwyn Fitch (Charleston, S.C.) who slotted a hat-trick, the third of his collegiate career. Newcomer
Davis Palombo (Greensboro, N.C.) continues to impress with a brace of his own.
Will Parham (Raleigh, N.C.) secured his first collegiate goal.
Gavin Brown (Charleston, S.C.) rounded out the Quakers scoring with
Wyatt Dwyer (Seattle, Wash.) and
Seth Woods (Hilton Head Island, S.C.) each contributing an assist each.
The Quakers and the Monarchs traded blows early on in the first. The Quakers opened the scoring at the 13:07 mark as Palombo found the back of the net unassisted. Methodist quickly responded with a goal from Jack Murray a minute later to even the score. Fitch put Guilford back on top at 2:27 with a strong solo effort, but Methodist's Loan Florio answered with just four seconds left in the quarter, marking a tally of 2-2 heading into the second.
GC took control in the second quarter, netting four straight goals leaving the Monarchs scoreless in the entire quarter. Parhan opened the frame with a goal at 4:29, assisted by Dwyer, before Fitch followed with one of his own two minutes and 19 seconds later. Palombo added his second of the match just 20 seconds later, and Fitch completed his hat trick with six seconds remaining in the half, capping off an explosive offensive stretch for Guilford.
Despite their momentum, the Quakers were unable to extend their advantage in the third quarter. MU began chipping away at the lead, outscoring Guilford 4-1 in the period. Brown tallied a man-up goal at 9:48 off a feed from Woods to give the Quakers a 7-2 advantage, but the Monarchs refused to go down. Methodist responded with four unanswered goals including tallies from Ryan Kavounis, Jay Legg, Florio, and J.R. Newman, bringing the game to 7-6 heading into the final stanza of play.
MU continued their hot offensive run, taking full control with another four-goal period, leaving the Quakers scoreless in the fourth. Kavounis tied the game at 13:48, and Rj Breeden put the Monarchs ahead at 8:01. Guilford fought to generate offensive opportunities but struggled against the Monarchs' backline. Legg and Newman each added insurance goals late in the quarter to secure the 10-7 victory for Methodist.
The Quakers will return to action next Wednesday, February 26th, as they head an hour down south to face Pfeiffer University. Start time is set for 6:00 PM.
#GoQuakes
