Box Score ROSEMONT (Pa) – The Delaware Valley University men's lacrosse team opened its 2023 campaign with a memorable 18-12 victory at Rosemont College in what was the first career win for head coach Will Lawlor.
Lawlor took over the helm of the program in June, and tonight made his NCAA head coaching debut against his alma mater, the Rosemont Ravens. The Aggies had nine different player register a point, and three goalies chip in for the victory to earn Lawlor his first at the college ranks.
First-year Dan Aulisi got the scoring started for DelVal just 2:12 into regulation, but the Ravens quickly responded and tied the game just nine seconds later.
Cole Graeff, Brett Ziegler, and Chris Marren all scored for the Aggies in a span of 96 seconds to catapult the visitors to a three-goal lead. After Rosemont got one back, Jack Sprinkle cashed in on his own rebound attempt just before the end of the first to make it a 5-2 DelVal lead after one.
The two teams traded a pair of tallies to start the second, before the Aggies closed the stanza with a 4-0 run, with goals coming in bursts. Ziegler and Aulisi scored just 50 seconds apart, and Sprinkle and Berman's goals in the waning minutes were separated by 1:05 of game time. Aulisi scored twice in the second to give him three in the first half, and DelVal outscored Rosemont, 6-2, in the second.
Frederick Offenburger highlighted the third quarter with a faceoff win that he took right to the cage and deposited for his first goal of the season to make the score 12-5, DelVal.
After the Ravens converted a man-up opportunity, Ashton Benkwitt scored his first collegiate goal and sparked a run of three goals in 2 minutes, 16 seconds and lift the Aggies to a 15-6 lead after three.
DelVal surrendered four man-up opportunities in the fourth and failed to kill two of them as Rosemont went on to outscore the Aggies 6-3 in the fourth. However, DelVal's lead was insurmountable and the defense did not allow a goal over the final 4:15 of regulation to close the door on the 18-12 victory.
Aulisi, Sprinkle, and Ziegler had four points apiece to lead the Aggies while Graeff and Marren followed with three goals each. Kieren Schneider earned his first collegiate point with an assist and senior Travis Berman picked up his first goal of the season. Aidan Purcell, Jim Murphy and Riley Savering combined for nine saves between the pipes to anchor the defense that had 12 caused turnovers. Sean Mylod led the group with three caused turnovers and six ground balls, while Aulisi and Ryan Gordon added two caused turnovers each. Offenburger won 16-of-34 faceoffs and grabbed seven ground balls.
DelVal will return to action on Saturday at Lebanon Valley College at 1 p.m.
