HAMPTON, Va. — The Wagner College men's lacrosse team erupted for six third-quarter goals to pull away for a commanding 14–6 victory over Hampton on Saturday afternoon at Armstrong Stadium.
Hampton (0-5, 0-0 CAA) got on the board first, but Wagner (1-4, 0-0 NEC) responded with three straight goals to take an early 3-1 lead. The Pirates answered with three of their own to claim a 4-3 advantage at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, freshman
Dylan Popehn netted a man-up goal at the 11:58 mark to tie the contest at 4-4 before junior
Danny McMahon finished off a feed from senior
Smith Callaghan to give Wagner a 5-4 edge. Hampton scored in the final seconds of the half to send the teams into the break knotted at 5-5.
Popehn opened the third quarter with a goal off an assist from Callaghan, sparking a dominant 6-1 run. Senior
Jake Mitchell scored twice during the stretch, while graduate student
Theo Kostakos added two goals of his own. Callaghan capped the period with an unassisted tally in the closing seconds, as Wagner built an 11-6 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.
Wagner continued to control play in the final frame, holding Hampton scoreless over the final 15 minutes. Popehn completed his hat trick with 9:41 remaining before juniors
Ryan Rossi and
Griffin Edwards added late goals to seal the 14-6 victory.
Popehn and Kostakos led the offense with three goals apiece, while Mitchell and McMahon each added two. Callaghan turned in a four-point performance (1g, 3a), and junior
Dylan Dwyer dominated at the faceoff stripe, winning 17-of-21 draws.
Wagner outshot Hampton 51-30 and held a decisive 43-22 advantage in ground balls. The Seahawks also won 18 faceoffs and allowed just one goal over the final 30 minutes of play.
In goal, junior
Angus Snow made 17 saves in 60 minutes to earn the victory.
Next up, the Green & White return home to host America East member NJIT on Saturday, March 7 at 1 p.m. at Hameline Field.
