Widener 15, Lebanon Valley 5

LVC Starters
Keefer, Brown, Garman, Mercer, Kudlak, Bushong, Wagner, Campbell, Epple, Torrence

Widener Starters
Cook, LaVine, Carrier, Paone, Taylor, Schulte, Horton, Keller, Taylor, Ferguson

How It Happened
Widener's offense proved too much for Lebanon Valley in the team's 15-5 defeat at Arnold Field on Wednesday afternoon.

The Flying Dutchmen (7-4, 2-1 MAC Commonwealth) suffered their first conference loss despite jumping out to a 1-0 lead less than a minute into the contest when Koty Keefer netted the first of his two goals with an unassisted strike at the 14:04 mark.

Widener's aggressive offense responded with four straight scores fueled by the team's ability to control the faceoff. The Pride (5-5, 4-0 MAC Commonwealth) found the mark four times in a span of less than three minutes, turning a one-goal deficit into a 4-1 advantage.

Keefer slowed the Widener momentum with his second strike of the day at the 5:15 mark, cutting the deficit in half in the process, but the Pride added a fifth goal when Mitchell Phillips finished off a Marc LaVine find with 18 seconds left in the period.

Phillips opened the second quarter with his second goal just 59 seconds in but Baker Landon's score off an Alex Bushong feed kept LVC within striking distance at 6-3.

From there, the Pride turned it on to the tune of three straight markers at the 9:30, 6:46, and 4:42 marks. Bushong did what he could to keep his team in it with a strike with 2:05 left in the first half but the 9-4 halftime deficit proved too much for the Dutchmen to overcome after the break.

LVC was held scoreless in the third period, while the Pride added four more, including the team's second man-up goal of the game, to take a commanding 13-4 advantage into the final quarter.

Klayton Garman converted his sixth goal of the season off a nice look by Keefer to provide LVC with its lone score of the fourth period with 12:28 remaining.

Turning Point
Trailing 6-3 midway through the second quarter, Lebanon Valley saw a manageable deficit become an insurmountable one when Widener netted three goals in a row over a span of less than five minutes. The Dutchmen got one back before halftime but it was a hole they were unable to dig themselves out of in the second half.

Inside the Numbers
- Widener's 15 goals were the most given up by the Dutchmen this spring.
- The Pride held a tremendous advantage in faceoff wins with an 18-6 margin.
- Widener scooped up 36 ground balls, while LVC managed 25.
- The Pride were strong on man-up opportunities, finishing 2-3 on extra-man opportunities. Lebanon Valley missed netting a man-up goal by one second during the team's lone chance.
- A handful of offside calls hurt LVC's clear percentage as the team finished 12-17. Widener was a perfect 14-14.
- The teams committed 16 turnovers apiece.
- Widener held advantages in both shots (46-29) and shots on goal (28-17).
- Koty Keefer recorded a team-high three points for LVC with two goals and an assist.
- Alex Bushong was the only other Dutchmen to have a multi-point game with one goal and one assist.
- Coleman Wagner caused a pair of turnovers for Lebanon Valley, while Jeremy Beaver had a team-high six ground balls.
- Wagner, Zane Brown, Cameron Epple, Matt Torrence, and Austin Minnich each recorded two ground balls.
- Epple and Widener goalkeeper Matt Horton made 12 saves apiece.
- Shane Taylor and Marc LaVine each recorded four points for the Pride, while Tim Taylor added a hat trick.

Who's Next?
The Dutchmen travel to Arcadia this Saturday afternoon before returning to Arnold Field to host Lycoming next Wednesday.