Total Team Effort as Spartans Down Bulldogs

TAMPA, Fla. - The University of Tampa men's lacrosse team had 16 players tally at least one point, while the Spartans defense held Wingate scoreless in the first half, en route to a 21-2 win Tuesday night at Pepin Stadium. With the win the Spartans improve to 4-2 overall and 3-1 in the Deep South Conference, while the Bulldogs fall to 1-6 overall and 0-3 in conference play.

Tampa struck first as M.J. Lorenzo made a cross field pass to Matt Bilak for the goal to give Tampa a 1-0 lead with 11:10 left in the first quarter. Both teams had opportunities to score, but neither team could convert as the score remained 1-0 after the opening period.

As has been a trend for the Spartans this season, the offense came alive in the second quarter, scoring eight unanswered goals. Trevor Calleja won the initial faceoff for the Spartans, on the ensuing possession Ryan Becker dodged down the right side of the field and put a well-placed shot in the top left corner of the cage for the goal. Kyle Hemrick and Bilak would each score back-to-back goals to extend Tampa's lead to 6-0 with 5:15 remaining in second quarter. After a Joseph Fiorucci save, Blake Pfohl scored his first goal of the season to give the Spartans a 7-0 lead. Tampa would score twice before the break to give the Spartans a 9-0 at half. The Spartans defense forced eight turnovers in the second quarter. It is the first time since March 20, 2012, versus Saint Leo, that Tampa held an opponent scoreless for the first half.

The Spartans offensive attack continued into the second half. Tampa took advantage of a Wingate penalty as Joey McMahan connected with Becker for the man-up goal. Hemrick would follow with his third goal of the game. After a Wingate goal, McMahan would connect with Bilick in front of the cage for a goal.

Tampa would score nine straight goals over the course of the third and fourth quarter to extend Tampa's lead to 21-1 with 1:07 left in game. Bryce Sneed would score a goal for Wingate, for the 21-2 final.

Hemrick and Bilack led the Spartans with four goals apiece, while McMahan dished out three assists. Calleja went 12-17 on faceoffs and picked up a team-high nine ground balls. The Spartans defense led by Larry Gress, Eric Dance, and Marty Heyn forced 32 turnovers.

The 19 goal win is Tampa's largest margin of victory in the program's two-year history. The team also took a program-high 56 shots, while picking up 44 ground balls.

The Spartans will return to action Saturday, March 9, when they host Catawba in a Deep South Conference match up. Game time will be 1 p.m.

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