“Tuesday’s game was less than ideal,” said junior defender Joe Ross about the Tigers’ 22-5 loss to the Ohio Wesleyan Battling Bishops.
The men’s lacrosse team traveled to Delaware, Ohio this past Tuesday night to face the talented program.
“I feel the team did their best to play hard...it's tough right now for us to overcome the history and strength of the Ohio Wesleyan program,” said head coach Carl Haas.
First-year defender Donny Bleifuss is using Ohio Wesleyan’s as a barometer of what they should aim for in the following years.
“The game really allowed our program to realize what level we would like to be at in the next coming years.”
Ohio Wesleyan came out strong, claiming the first four goals of the first quarter. It wasn’t until sophomore midfielder Ben Sherman scored an unassisted goal at the 4:28 mark that the Tigers were brought into the game.
Even with a second goal from first-year attack Buck Dorger, the Tigers still headed into the locker room at halftime with a 15-2 deficit.
At the opening of the second half, Sherman struck again with a third goal for DePauw, his second of the match.
The Tigers were able to net another two goals before the final whistle. The points came from sophomore midfielder Andrew Wright and first-year attack Austin MacDonald.
The Battling Bishops had outshot DePauw 62-24 and also claimed 23 of the 30 face offs.
Defensively, junior goalkeeper Connor Patterson recorded 19 saves. Sherman led the team with his two goals.
“We really try to hammer home what we did well and use that as a tool to help us learn from these types of games and get better,” said Haas.
With this loss, the Tigers will fall to an overall record of 5-9 on the season and 2-5 in North Coast Atlantic Conference play. The No. 13-ranked Battling Bishops advance to 11-3 overall and 6-1 in the NCAC.
The men finish out their regular season play at Reavis Stadium on Saturday against Oberlin College. Faceoff is scheduled for 2pm.
“Its a great opportunity to end the season on a high note,” said Bleifuss.