COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Capital University men's lacrosse team welcomed the Mount Union Purple Raiders to town on Friday. The day was marked by beautiful skies and warm temperatures; one might say it was a great day for lacrosse. It was a great day indeed as Capital battled back from an early deficit and scored a screamer in sudden death to topple the Purple Raiders, 11-10.

Ten Comets were honored before the game for their achievements and dedication to the men's lacrosse program throughout their years at Capital. Seniors Nathan Mork, Spencer Towne, Dom Rocco, Jack Scharner, Jaden Kaznowski, Jack Conely, and Lake Harris, as well as graduate students Dylan Comella, Doc Crimmel, and Chase Snyder will complete their Cap careers this season. They are all a great credit to the program and the best is wished for all of their future endeavors.

With the win, Capital breaks even in the OAC, sitting at 3-3 and rising to fifth place in the table. Overall, the Comets are a step below the .500 mark at 6-7.

Mount Union drops to 3-3 within the conference and 7-5 overall.

Leading the Capital offense was Evan Frund with six goals. He was one of just four Comets to find their place in the scoring column, the others being Mason Spaulding (2), Brenden Pelton (2), and Jacob Poole (1). Six of the 11 Comet goals were assisted on with main set-up man Jack Scharner taking the weight of the load with three dimes. Mason Spaulding turned in two assists and Nathan Mork accounted for one.

On the other side of the field, Capital flustered Mount Union's offense, forcing 20 turnovers and directly causing five. Dom Rocco led the wrecking crew with 2 CTs. Cap also excelled in the chasing down of ground balls, snagging 34. Doc Crimmel played the role of lead wrangler with six pick-ups.

Lake Harris took the majority of the faceoff work, participating in 22 battles for the ball and winning 13 of them. His colleague in the department, Mikey Collins, went 1-for-2.

Sam McInturf was a force to be reckoned with in front of the cage. He made twelve saves in the win. His record is now 6-7.


HOW IT HAPPENED
The game was tight from the onset and a battle until the bitter end. Mount Union kicked off the afternoon with a goal five minutes into the game, that being the only goal of the first quarter. Early in the second, they doubled their lead, 2-0. It was then that the Capital offense came alive, striking for five straight. It started with Mason Spaulding going back-to-back. That was followed up with goals by Brenden Pelton, Evan Frund, and Jacob Poole. All of the sudden, the Comets were sitting on a 5-2 lead at halftime. 

Evan Frund found the back of the net again in the third quarter, however, the Comets were outscored 2-1 in the period, and found their lead dwindling at 6-4 entering the final 15 minutes of regulation. Despite another goal from Frund early on in the fourth, the Comets conceded four straight to slip back below the Purple Raiders 7-8. From then on, the game was more like a tennis match with the teams going back and forth over and over again, no advantage was safe. Evan Frund would trade blows with Mount Union for the last six minutes of the quarter, his second hat trick was enough to draw even at 10-10 and force overtime.

In the sudden death style overtime period, all that was needed was one goal to win the game. For Capital, all that was needed was one minute and 29 seconds. The Comets were very deliberate in their shot choice, using up most of their 80 second shot clock before taking a chance at the cage. However, the deciding factor ended up being a desperation heave from the stick of Brenden Pelton with one second remaining on the shot clock. The result: a shot straight through the three-hole and into the upper left corner of the net, 11-10. Excitement spilled over from the Capital bench and the Comet faithful in the stands as the Purple and White rushed the field to congratulate their game-winning wunderkind.


THE OPPONENT
Eli Ciotti led the Mount Union effort with three goals. In the cage was Kyle Reihner. He made 17 saves in the 61.5 minutes of play, going down with the losing decision.


UP NEXT
Capital has a short turnaround this week, regrouping to play Wilmington on Wednesday, April 20. That will be the last game at Bernlohr Stadium this season. The faceoff is set for 7 p.m. EST.