COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Capital University men's lacrosse team played host to the Wilmington College Quakers on a windy Wednesday night at Bernlohr Stadium, breaking multiple team records and recording their second straight win. It was all offense for the Comets as they took down the Quakers by a score of 25-1. 

With the win Capital now sits at .500 on the season with a record of 7-7. Their OAC record jumps to 4-3, however, they will remain at fifth place in the conference. 

Wilmington drops to 2-13 on the year, with an 0-7 OAC record. They sit at the bottom of the table.

The ball was passed around the yard aplenty as 11 Comets found the back of the net. Mason Spaulding had himself a day, leading all scorers with seven goals. He also collected one assist for a total of eight points. Three of Spaulding's goals came when the Comets were short handed, giving the team the record for most man-down goals in a game in program history. Alongside Spaulding were Jack Scharner, Jake Belt, Jacob Poole, and freshman Ty Chase who recorded hat tricks. Chase's three goals were the first of his collegiate career. Rounding out the Capital scorers were Doc Crimmel, Evan Frund, Nathan Montgomery, Ian Michaud, Jon Gaglione, and Johnathon Kilgallon; all with one goal. The 25 goals by Capital are the most scored in a single game in men's lacrosse program history.

As a team, the Comets shared the ball quite well, assisting on 16 of their 25 goals. Ty Chase led the charge in the category, dishing out four dimes. These were also his first four assists of his collegiate career. Coupled with his three goals, his point total added up to seven on the day. Nathan Mork racked up three assists, while Frund, Belt, and Michaud each had two. Spaulding, Aiden Manning, and Poole each accounted for one. In terms of points, the 41 scored by the Comets also account for the most in a game in program history. 

Defensively, the Comets were destructive to say the least. A stout effort guarding the goal resulted in 36 turnovers for the Quakers. Of the offensive mishaps, 16 were direct results of Capital interference. Spaulding and Jaden Kaznowski led the caused turnover game with three apiece. Chase added to his already impressive burst onto the scene with two CTs. 

The ground ball game was also heavily dominated by the Comets, with 61 being rounded up by the Cap squad. Mikey Collins led the way with seven as he made 13 appearances as the face-off man. Spaulding followed that up with six. Crimmel, Kaznowski, Lake Harris, Poole, and Drew Bolen all found themselves with four. Cody Colon, Mork, Chase Snyder, and Ethan Adkins got three apiece. Dom Rocco, Frund, Scharner, and Michaud each totaled two. And finishing off the ground ball blitz were Jack Conley, Austin Yanichko, Montgomery, Belt, Gaglione, and Chase, all with one. The 61 collective ground balls places second on the program single-game leaderboard.

Getting the ball out of the defensive zone was a breeze for the Comets as they came in with a perfect 1.000 clear percentage on the day, 18-for-18.

Goalies Sam McInturf and Ryan Pierce split time in the Capital cage. McInturf played the first half, facing five shots and allowing the only Wimington goal. Pierce played the latter two periods, making one save on four shots faced. McInturf gets credited with the winning decision. His record matches the team's at 7-7.


RECORD BREAKING ROUT
As a collective, Capital broke three single-game records in this one. For starters, Cap's 25 goals edged out the old record of 24 set in 2015 in a game against Franciscan. Next, the 41 total points scored slimly bested the old number of 40 set in 2017 against Oberlin. Finally, the three man-down goals scored by the Comets – and Mason Spaulding individually – narrowly beat the old mark of two set in 2014, also against Franciscan.

The ground ball brigade of 61 came up just short on the single-game leaderboard, falling into the second place slot. The top spot belongs to a 69-GB performance against Bethany in 2016.


NEW FACES ON THE FIELD
The big game made for an abundance of big playing time for some of the newer names in the Capital program. Freshman Ty Chase filled up the statsheet in his first stint of extended playing time. As stated before, Chase scored his first three goals of his collegiate career as well as dished out his first four assists. He also collected one ground ball and caused two turnovers.

Fellow freshman James Craig found himself making key plays in the defensive backfield for the Comets. He racked up two ground balls and one caused turnover, as well as playing a part in some of the team's 18 clears.

Sophomore Ian Michaud made his name known with one goal and two assists for a total of three points. He also picked up two ground balls. 

Fellow sophomore Drew Bolen collected four ground balls on the day.

Austin Yanichko, also a sophomore, made his fifth appearance of the season, collecting one ground ball.

Finally, sophomore goalie Ryan Pierce got an extended stint between the pipes. He played the entire second half, making one save on four shots faced.


HOW IT HAPPENED
There was no stopping the Comets once they got rolling. Cap scored twelve straight to start off the game. The single blemish on the scoreboard did not come until five minutes remained in the second quarter. After that, it was nothing but net as Capital poured in 13 unanswered to finish off the game.


THE OPPONENT
Wilmington's lone goal was scored by Gabe Shaw and assisted by Garrett Murrell. In the cage for the Quakers was Cody Everly. He is credited with the loss and stands at 2-13 on the season.


UP NEXT
Capital will be on their way to Ada on Saturday for a matchup with Ohio Northern. As the season winds down, the game against the third place Polar Bears could have big tournament implications. The squads will face-off at 1 p.m. EST. To follow along, head to athletics.capital.edu.