FULTON, Mo. - With it being the final home game of its inaugural campaign, William Woods University (4-7, 4-4 Heart of America Athletic Conference) wanted to put on a show, and the Owls did by earning a dominant 23-5 Senior Day win over Clarke University (5-8, 3-5) Saturday at North Campus Athletic Complex.
Following the conclusion of the Owls' tremendous triumph, they honored their five seniors, who joined WWU coach
Seth Matlock in making the switch from Ottawa University's yellow and black to Woods's green and white:
Sam Snyder,
Vinny DeMarco,
David Wiley,
Jayden Spore and
Loren Woita.
"Today was a great day as we honor the seniors, a part of our inaugural team," Matlock said. "We played well, and together, and it showed on the field. Today, the team played for the seniors, and this class left their legacy on this program. This senior class will be missed, but I feel great about the foundation they have laid as they move on in life. Love these guys and love this team. Go Owls!"
Senior leader DeMarco wanted to put on a clinic in his final home contest, and he did that by posting a game-high 12 points (game-high eight goals and four assists), a game-high 15 shots (game-high 11 on goal), tied for a game-high three caused turnovers and added two ground balls.
While DeMarco had the most excellent game of all, the Owls also had strong showings from their four other seniors: Spore won a game-high 11 faceoffs, Wiley netted a hat trick on eight shots (four on goal), Snyder was also clinical with two goals on three shots (three on goal) and tacked on three ground balls and Woita tied for a game-high three caused turnovers.
The Woods also had outstanding outings from those returning for more college lacrosse:
Jack Brackin dished out a game-high six assists and had two goals,
Drew Stubblefield recorded a much better save percentage than the Prides' two goalies, .706, and stopped 12 shots and
Chris Hanson scooped a game-high 11 ground balls and caused two turnovers.
After going down 1-0 with 13:58 left in the first quarter, the Owls turned on the jets and scored 12 goals without reply - the stretch ended with 1:23 remaining in the second period. During the run,
Ethan NewMyer scored the first goal and had two goals, DeMarco gave WWU the game-deciding lead at 2-1 with 11:14 to go and notched four goals and
David Wiley finished the streak with his hat-trick goal, his 19th tally this season, with a man-up off a Brackin assist.
Clarke pulled one back with 42 seconds until halftime, then DeMarco slotted in his fifth goal of the first half to hand the Owls a 13-2 advantage at the break.
The Pride opened the second-half scoring with 11:56 left in the third quarter before who else but DeMarco replied, sinking his shot unassisted and with a man down to send WWU back up by 11 (14-3).
Clarke's man-up situation evened itself out as the Pride found the back of the net. Not even a minute after that score, Brackin tallied his 17th goal of the year to put it at 15-4 Owls with 9:50 remaining in the third quarter.
Following that, the Pride completed its offense, slotting in its final goal with 8:04 to go in the third quarter. The Owls flew around the field and notched eight goals over the game's final 21:04. NewMyer had half of WWU's goals in that time, completing the contest's scoring with 1:21 on the clock. DeMarco capped his eight-goal display, which gave him 49 goals on the season, when he placed his shot past Clarke's backup shot-stopper with 6:01 remaining.
For the game, the Owls totaled 52 shots (36 on goal), 32 ground balls, 13 turnovers and 11 faceoff wins. The Pride had 21 shots (17 on goal), 33 ground balls, 27 turnovers and 19 faceoff wins.
William Woods finishes the regular season with its first-ever matchup against rival Columbia College (5-6, 5-2 Heart) at 6 p.m. Tuesday at R. Marvin Owens Field in Columbia.
