LAX Cruises to 16-5 Win Over Wheelock

NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Mitchell College men's lacrosse team scored the first eight goals en route to a 16-5 victory over Wheelock College in a non-conference showdown on Tuesday afternoon at Alumni Field.

Twelve players found the back of the cage for the Mariners (6-8 overall) on the day, led by three goals from Zach Stoll and two apiece from both Dan DiGioia and Kyle Perry. Evan Gennell fueled the offense with three assists while McCarthy Brodaski and Jordan Cook each contributed a pair of helpers.

Donovan Riley-Robinson recorded a hat trick to pace the Wildcats (0-10 overall) while Josh Simmons added a pair of scores. Riley-Robinson also scooped up a game-high 10 ground balls and went 5-for-7 in face-offs on the day.

Mitchell opened up a 7-0 lead in the first quarter as the six different players found the scoring column. Joshua Muckle and Ryan Comerford each scored in the first minute of the contest as the Mariners jumped out to a quick lead. The final goal of the stanza came with a man-advantage as DiGioia cashed in on his second of the period.

Wheelock got on the scoreboard with 6:07 remaining in the half on a tally by Riley-Robinson to cut the deficit to 8-1. Stoll then responded with back-to-back scores to give Mitchell its largest lead of the half, and he completed his hat trick minutes later with a shot through his own legs off a feed from Cook. 

Wheelock pulled to within 11-3 in the final seconds of the half. Simmons potted his first of the day on an unassisted effort with only 21 seconds to go before intermission.

Perry scored twice in the second half and gave Mitchell its largest lead at 16-4 with 8:24 remaining in the fourth quarter. He was one of four Mariners to score his first goal of the season in the contest along with Comerford, Spencer Daniel and Enajee Caple.

Mitchell goalie Mark Vuolo logged 38:39 between the pipes and made four saves to earn his first career victory. Aaron Baker also saw his first action of the season in the cage and made two saves in 18:17. Wheelock goalie Collin Davis played the entire game and stopped 10 shots.

Zach Hantske went 13-for-21 at the face-off spot and picked up a career-high eight ground balls to lead the Mariners. Maximilian Crowley finished with seven ground balls while Caple scooped up five.

Mitchell will next host Daniel Webster College in the semifinals of the NECC Championship on Wednesday, April 29 at 5 p.m. Wheelock returns to action on Sunday, May 3 at Lyndon State College at 1 p.m.