Oberlin, Ohio – Clinching a hard-fought victory at home to start their season, the Oberlin College men's lacrosse team battled against Ursinus for a 9-7 on Bailey Field. Jacob Starcke, who scored five goals in ten minutes, is now 23 goals behind Ryan Kelley '96 (165), who is the Yeomen's all-time leading goal scorer.
 
"Great team effort, [I'm] really proud of our guys for playing hard for a full four quarters." Head Coach Ryan Polak says of his teams' hard work, "It's always nice to start the season with a win, a lot for us to learn from and clean up, but we're excited for our next opportunity to compete."
 
The Yeomen were led by senior sensation Jacob Starcke who tallied six goals. With five in the second quarter, the New York native's final score came in the final quarter and clinched the win.
 
Will Kohl, Nicholas Cuda, and David Belisle also scored in the victory, while Andrew Rosa dished out a pair of assists alongside Solomon Brennan, Cooper Zancosky, and Asher Friedman.
 
In goal, rookie Nolan Grieshaber put up a debut with 11 saves, allowing seven goals, and four ground balls. Evan Sardina led the face-off going 15-20 and collecting 12 ground balls. After the FOGO came Coling Taylor with four ground balls and a pair of caused turnovers. Cooper Rand also added four ground balls and one caused turnover. Rounding out the long poles, Chris Totonis led the team with three caused turnovers and three ground balls.
 
After a slow start that saw Ursinus score first, Oberlin's attack came alive in the second quarter. At 14:13, Starcke scored his first goal, followed by his second just 43 seconds later. Zancosky found Kohl after Rand caused a turnover on Ursinus' clear, leading to another Crimson and Gold goal. Starcke rattled off the next three goals as the Yeomen took a 6-2 lead into halftime.
 
Much like the first half, Oberlin was unable to produce in the opening minutes, but again found their momentum in the later frame. Cuda, Starcke, and Belisle made it 9-3 Oberlin in the span of two minutes. For the final 10:05 the Yeomen were unable to convert any of their shots. Leaning on an explosive second period, Oberlin was able to hold off a 4-0 run by the Bears to clinch the home victory.
 
With a close win against a good Centennial Conference opponent, the Crimson and Gold return to action on Wednesday, February 25 when they host Westminster. Face-off is set for 5:30 p.m. on Bailey Field.
 
Oberlin stays on the road for their next contest, a tussle with Grove City on Wednesday, February 25. The draw is set to go up at 4 p.m.
 
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