CINCINNATI, Ohio – The Lincoln Memorial men's lacrosse team overpowered the Walsh Cavaliers in the second half to capture a 13-4 win at Elder High School on Saturday afternoon. With the win, the Railsplitters (3-1) start 3-1 for the third consecutive season while Walsh (0-1) opened its 2018 campaign on a sour note.
 
Looking to rebound from their first loss of the season in a disappointing 20-6 setback at No. 19 Saint Leo, the Railsplitters built a slim 6-3 lead over the Cavaliers through the first 30 minutes of their neutral-site battle before blowing things open in the second half. Lincoln Memorial outshot Walsh 24-7 to outscore the Great Midwest Athletic Conference foe 7-1 over the final 30 minutes and race away with the victory.
 
"I thought today was a good bounce back from our guys," said LMU head coach Ryan Kuhn. "They really came together as a group and put together a solid game in some adverse weather conditions. Coming off of a very tough loss, we identified specific areas to improve. While it wasn't perfect the guys bought into the game plan and that gave us an opportunity to be successful."
 
Adam Golia led the team's dominant offensive effort with five goals and one assist on a team-high seven shots. Anthony Teresky and Khanan Bodley chipped in two goals apiece, while Dylan Neisler racked up a goal and three assists. Kyle Arcuri finished with multiple points as well with a goal and an assist. Robert Tucker added two assists.
 
Michael Kessler picked up the win in goal for the Railsplitters to improve to 2-1 on the season after making six saves with three goals allowed over 30 minutes of work. Jeffrey Handman played just under 25 minutes in relief of Kessler, making two saves with one goal allowed over that span.
 
The four goals allowed are tied for the second-fewest given up in a match in program history behind only a 17-2 win against Asbury in the 2015 finale.  
 
Benjamin Suchomma led Walsh with a pair of goals but he was the only Cavalier with multiple points in the match. Noah Ross was tagged with the loss in goal after giving up all 13 goals while making 13 saves in 60 minutes of action.
 
The Railsplitters dominated virtually every phase of the match, outshooting the Cavaliers in all but the second quarter to accumulate a commanding 43-19 edge in shot attempts. On top of that, Lincoln Memorial produced a 26-13 cushion in shots on goal and a 37-18 groundball margin.
 
Hunter Clark led LMU with a match-high seven groundballs. Josh Hernandez added five, while Arcuri and Will Britt had four apiece.
 
"We had contributions from many different guys today and it was very good to see the development of both our offensive and defensive systems," Kuhn said.
 
The Railsplitters never trailed in the match as Bodley put the team in front with a goal at the 11:32 mark of the first quarter. After a goal from Walsh tied the match, Teresky and Golia both hit the back of the next to give the Railsplitters a 3-1 lead after one.
 
Brydan Heisler pushed in a goal for the Cavaliers to open the second quarter, but goals from Chris Tucker, Golia and Bodley quickly extended the LMU lead back to 6-2. Suchomma scored the first of his two goals with 1:14 left in the first half to cut the deficit to 6-3 at the break.
 
Lincoln Memorial then took over to close things out. In the third quarter, the Railsplitters shut out the Cavaliers to push their lead to 9-3. Teresky, Arcuri and Neisler did the damage for Lincoln Memorial in that quarter.
 
Golia added another goal early in the fourth quarter before the Cavaliers halted that 4-0 scoring run with their final goal of the match, a score from Suchomma with 11:44 left in regulation. The Railsplitters then blanked the Cavaliers the rest of the way and added three more goals – two from Golia – to complete the victory.
 
Quick Hits:
 
- Saturday served as Lincoln Memorial's first-ever match against Walsh or a Great Midwest Athletic Conference opponent.
 
- Neither team scored during a man-up opportunity. The Railsplitters went 0-for-2 but also held the Cavaliers to a 0-for-3 effort.
 
- The Railsplitters went 8-for-11 on clears. Walsh went 7-for-11.
 
- Lincoln Memorial certainly cleaned up its turnover problem. The Railsplitters turned it over just 13 times, including only three in the second half.
 
Up Next
 
The Railsplitters take the week off before heading to Wantagh, N.Y. on Saturday, February 24 to face Dominican at 1 p.m.