Frederick, Md. – Thanks in large part to tight defense and an incredibly well-balanced blitz, the Marymount men's lacrosse team earned its first win of the 2015 season on Wednesday.  The Saints raked the Blazers for an impressive 13-4 road decision to improve to 1-3 on the year.

Nine different Saints chipped in goals in the effort, with Max Johnson, Shoshone Smith, Nico Burns, and Mike Stidham swiping two apiece.  The Saints defense proved almost completely impenetrable over the course of the second half – allowing only one Hood goal in the final 30 minutes. 

The Saints controlled the contest from the get-go.  Marymount won the opening faceoff and saw Tyler DaSilva do the rest.  The senior – almost completely uncontested – marched into Blazers territory and sniped the 1-0 lead with barely 15 seconds gone.

Hood netted the equalizer about a minute later in similar fashion, but continued to pressure over the next five minutes.  A melee at the midline saw multiple turnovers transpire, with the Saints eventually walking away with the chance to attack.  The Blazers backline went to work to protect the 1-1 deadlock, forcing a Marymount turnover deep in Hood territory.  The host cleared the ball quickly, spinning several Saints defenders before swiping its only lead of the afternoon.

Marymount mounted its impressive retort immediately and never once looked back.  The Saints capitalized on a timely Hood turnover to swing their next attack as Burns pumped a bullet past Hood netminder Joe McCulloh.  The equalizer – netted at the 9:08 mark – proved just the beginning.

Johnson swiped the ensuing faceoff and constructed an ideal situation in the Hood zone.  The junior strolled cleanly past the Hood defense to notch his first strike – good for a 3-2 Marymount advantage with 8:31 left to play.

The squads traded shots over the next six minutes, with neither side finding success.  It was at the 2:50 mark that Kellan McCarthy opened the floodgates with a blast from about six yards out.  The sophomore extended the margin to 4-2, while teammates Jimmy Wendall and Garrett Nealon combined for some insurance, punching in a goal apiece in the last two minutes.

The Saints pocketed that momentum and towed the comfortable 6-2 advantage into the second quarter.  With barely a minute gone, Marymount had peppered the cage with three shots – the third of which Johnson slammed home from about seven years out for his second strike of the day.  

A scoreless drought persisted over the next ten minutes or so – though not for lack of opportunity.  Marymount goalie Mike Kempel survived a three-shot flurry at one point to swing possession in the Saints favor.  From there, the squads simply rifled shots back and forth.

Marymount finally strung some success together at the 3:45 mark.  After firing a shot just wide, Wendall recovered and weaved a perfect pass to Burns on the inside.  The senior took the feed in stride and let loose a missile to up the ante to 8-2.

The ensuing possession saw Hood attempt to cut the margin, but Kempel simply could not be solved between the pipes.  The netminder denied both shots and sent the ball swiftly back in the other direction.  The Saints offense fanned out methodically, allowing Matt Justice to skirt several defenders before punching in his first and only tally at the 1:45 mark.

With just 42 seconds remaining in the half, the Blazers stumbled on some good fortune.  A Saints turnover bled into the third Hood strike, cutting the margin to 9-3 heading into the break.

The third quarter opened with an offensive bombardment from the host – peppering the Marymount pipes with five consecutive shots.  The Blazers forfeited possession briefly, but the Saints could not capitalize on offense.  Hood blocked the Saints first attempt and then forced a turnover to swing an attack and eventually swipe its fourth and final goal.

From there, Marymount used sporadic offensive reminders to maintain control and to punctuate its road to victory.  Shoshone Smith erupted for back-to-back strikes for Marymount, notching a goal in both the third and fourth quarters for an 11-4 advantage.  

Following a minor attack from the Blazers, Jeremy Jones forced a Hood turnover deep in host territory to create a textbook opportunity.  Johnson eventually swung wide to scan the zone, finding Stidham for a goal at the 10:11 mark to increase the advantage to 12-4.  Not even three minutes later, a Marymount defensive stand linked Johnson to Stidham once again – sealing the deal at 13-4.

The Saints return to action on Saturday when they host Mount Union in a nonconference showdown.  Game time is slated for 1:00 p.m. at Long Bridge Park.