The Wheelock College men's lacrosse team could not keep up with the visiting Johnson State College Badgers as they lost their home opener, 15-2. The Wildcats fall to 0-3 early in their 2015 campaign while the Badgers improve to 1-4.
Wheelock was led by rookie attack Donovan Riley-Robinson who racked up 13 shots, nine shots on goal, nine ground balls, and a goal. Riley-Robinson pulled the Wildcats within four as he cut their deficit to 5-1 at the 4:47 mark of the second quarter but the home squad would get no closer.
Johnson State raced out to a 5-0 lead behind three goals from junior attack Andrew Neddo and continued to pour it on as they amassed a 12-1 advantage early in the fourth quarter. Rookie defense Alex Hoehn rounded out the scoring with 22 seconds remaining for the final margin of 15-2.
Wheelock featured strong games from rookies Josh Simmons and Austin Rindfuss. Simmons had nine ground balls, four shots including three on net, and a goal. Rindfuss tied for a game-high 10 groundballs.
Johnson State was led by sophomore midfield Mason Phillips who racked up 15 shots with nine going on net that resulted in seven goals. Phillips also added three assists while Neddo completed the contest with four goals and two helpers.
Wildcats rookie goalie Collin Davis saved 16 of the 31 shots he faced while the Badgers sophomore netminder Jay Palmisano stopped 10 of the 12 attempts he saw.
Wheelock stays home for a contest with Daniel Webster on April 1st. Johnson State faces off against Thomas on Tuesday March 31st at 2:30 p.m.