COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Hosting the College of Wooster on Wednesday evening, the Capital University men's lacrosse team jumped all over the scoreboard early and often, eventually defeating the visitors by a final score of 11-8.
The win marked the first of the season for the Comets and the first in the head coaching career of
A.J. Smith. Capital now holds a record of 1-2 on the season.
In the game, Cap was led in scoring by
Brenden Pelton who scored four goals and
Evan Frund, who nabbed a hat-trick.
Jack Scharner was busy behind the cage as he dished out four assists, many of which came early on. In the cage,
Sam McInturf came up clutch, stopping 14 shots in the game.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Comets exploded out to a 5-0 lead in the first quarter, getting goals off the stick of
Mason Spaulding, Pelton (x2),
Ian Michaud, and Frund. Michaud's and Frund's goals were the first of their seasons. Scharner picked up three assists in the quarter, while
Aiden Manning was credited with the assist on Spaulding's goal.
In the second quarter, Capital kept the foot on the gas as they outscored the Scots 4-1 in the period, extending their lead out to 9-2 at the break. A quick flurry of three minutes saw
Dylan Comella,
Evan Frund, and
Jacob Poole bag goals, sandwiching in a Wooster tally as well.
Not too long later, Pelton would complete his hat-trick as he scored off a feed from
Jake Belt to finish the first-half scoring.
Out of the locker room, Wooster came out as the aggressors, and outscored Cap 6-2 in the second half of play. As the Scots (1-2) carried momentum, the Comets scored two goals with under a minute to play in the third quarter to, giving the team a much needed cushion. Pelton and Frund would both be credited with the goals, with Frund's coming on a man-up play after
Mikey Collins was fouled just after he won the faceoff.
In the fourth, Wooster kept looking to complete the comeback, but could only manage three goals, bringing the final to 11-8.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Jack Scharner leads the league in assists through the first three games of the season with nine. His four helpers tonight marked a season-high.
Brenden Pelton and
Mason Spaulding sit tied for the team-lead in goals with seven each. The Comets have spread the wealth though as 10 players have found the back of the cage this season.
Sam McInturf has had a solid start to his season as the goalie with 43 saves through three games. He sits second in the OAC, just two off the lead.
Tonight's win marked the first in the head coaching career for
A.J. Smith.
THE OPPONENT
Charlie Bellou led the Scots in goal with three. Vinny DiLeo was the top assist man with two. Tyler Shroeder picked up the most ground balls, collecting five. Adam Meyer and Paul Chandler shared time in the cage. Meyer made five saves and Chandler was credited with six. Meyer takes credit for the loss.
UP NEXT
Capital will hit the road this Saturday as they travel to Transylvania in Lexington, Kentucky. Faceoff on Saturday is scheduled for 4 p.m.
