Oberlin, Ohio - In an instant classic between two conference foes, the Kenyon Owls (RV) defeated the Oberlin College men's lacrosse team 8-7 on Wednesday night. The loss drops the squad to 8-3 overall and 2-2 in conference play. 
 
Despite the loss, the Oberlin defense put together a career day, highlighted by the back-line group of Jonas Taylor-Lillquist, Colin Taylor, and Cooper Rand. The trio combined for eighteen ground balls to go along with ten caused turnovers, with Taylor leading the defense with seven scoops and four spills. Freshman standout Joe Chai shined at defensive midfield, forcing three turnovers for the second straight game while also corralling three ground balls. 
 
On the offensive end, the Crimson and Gold were led by sophomores Asher Friedman, Andrew Rosa, and Christian Tacogue, all recording two goals apiece. Junior phenom Jacob Starcke also contributed with three points on a goal and two assists. 
 
Getting off to a hot start, the Owls ripped off two quick goals in the first minute of the game by virtue of their leading scorer David Chintala. The Yeomen responded strongly, however, with Friedman opening the scoring for the squad with two more goals to follow. The Yeomen defense held Kenyon scoreless for the remainder of the frame, giving the group a 3-2 lead going into the second quarter. 
 
The second frame proved difficult offensively for the Crimson and Gold as the squad was held scoreless, whereas the Kenyon offense was able to rip off two goals, giving them a 4-3 lead going into the half. Both offenses finally let loose in the third quarter, with the Yeomen offense depositing three goals in the first five minutes. Kenyon responded, however, ripping off two goals of their own before Tacogue fired a missile to the top right corner of the net with 2:34 remaining in the quarter to give the Yeomen the one-goal advantage. The Owls matched the goal with their own with 21 seconds left in the frame, tying the contest at 7-7 going into the pivotal fourth quarter. 
 
The fourth quarter was a defensive clinic on both ends led by Chintala, who was able to net the lone goal of the fourth on a man-up advantage. The Chintala goal that ultimately proved to be the game-winner for the Owls. The Yeomen had their share of chances towards the end of the frame, peppering Kenyon keeper Adam Hall with a plethora of scoring chances, but the netminder stood tall to give his squad the victory in the gritty conference battle.
 
The Yeomen travel to Crawfordsville, Indiana, this weekend, Saturday, April 12, to take on Wabash in yet another conference battle. Face-off is set for 1:00 p.m.  
 
Fans can keep up with their favorite teams on Instagram, Facebook, X, or TikTok, and watch all the home matches live online. The Crimson and Gold's home broadcasts can be accessed on TV through the official Oberlin College Sports Network app on Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV.