Mens lacrosse over taken by Gryphons

John Bauer

The Silhouette

At the midway point of the campaign, the promising start to the season has all but evaporated for the McMaster men's lacrosse team after a tough loss to the Guelph Gryphons. They now have six games left to show that lacrosse matters at McMaster.

The game in Guelph on Sept. 25 was a special teams feast. The teams combined for nine power play goals in the Gryphon's 14-9 win. Guelph opened the scoring just over seven minutes into the game on an individual effort by Michael Cavanagh. The Marauders would then score two power play goals in quick succession, compliments of Mark Phillips and Carter Williams, only to have Guelph tie the game exactly four minutes later.

The Gryphons' Connor Deuchars would begin to take over the game early in the second quarter. He would score a minute in, and add two more before the half, sandwiching another Guelph goal and two McMaster markers by Williams and Ryan Adams. Mark Phillips would score his second tally with the man advantage after Deuchar's third goal, bringing the score to 6-5 in Guelph's favor after 40.

Only a second after play resumed to start the second half, Williams would score to tie the game.  That brief second was the best the Marauders played in the third, as Guelph would carry the play and respond with three goals.

Down 9-6, McMaster started the comeback just over a minute into the fourth with Alex Goacher's first goal of the season. Just ten seconds later, Taylor Brown put a dagger in Mac's hearts with an unassisted tally. The teams would swap goals for the next eighteen minutes leading to the 14-9 final.

Williams would finish with four goals for the Maroon and Phillips would finish with two of his own. Guelph's Deuchars was a Marauder killer with five markers, while Jordan Critch set up six and scored one of his own.

A busy week lies ahead for the Marauders. Brocks pays a visit to Alumni field on Oct. 2 and the Maroon then take Highway 6 West to visit Laurier on Oct. 4, before a trip in the other direction for a tilt on Oct. 6 against Brock in St. Catharine’s.