OWINGS MILLS, Md. - The 11th-ranked Dickinson men's lacrosse completed a very successful weekend at the Mustang Classic by winning the traditional "Battle of the Red" by knocking a feisty 18th-ranked Denison University Big Red on Saturday evening at Mustang Stadium on the campus of Stevenson University. 

The Devils cage was under pressure early as Denison fired four of the first five shots of the game forcing goalie Patrick Scarborough to make a pair of saves. At the other end of the field the lone Dickinson shot out of the stick of Will Farrell tested TJ Spahn, but he was up to the task. However, it would be the Red and White that struck first at the four-minute mark when Sam Campbell buried the rock. The next couple of minutes saw each side take two shots, however, none of them got to cage as the defense stepped up to block each one. After a strong defensive possession for DC, they capitalized at the other end with Matt Thurston stepping around a defender to pick the top corner. Denison cracked the board with 4:39 left when Will Kenney hit the top-corner after Scarborough denied Clyde Bresnahan. A loose ball scrum collected by Farrell led to Thurston getting his second of the frame, followed immediately by a behind-the-back finish from Owen Porter to extend the margin to 4-1. Denison pulled one back in the final minute to make it 4-2 through one.

Dickinson recorded the first three shots of the second inside the opening minute, before cashing in when Skyler Schluter found Thurston to complete his hat trick. The Red and White continued to apply the pressure letting four more shots fly at Spahn before James Isaacson tickled the twine pushing the lead to 6-2. After that goal, a shaken-up Spahn was replaced by Archer Darrach in goal. Denison took advantage of the break in momentum for DC and found the net themselves thanks to Ethan Tyack with just over five minutes gone. The two sides traded the next four goals with Campbell as well as Isaacson tallying for the Devils, while Nate Kay and Tyack scored for the Big Red to make it 8-5 with 3:23 remaining. Porter added one more to his ledger prior to the horn to make it 9-5 at the break.         

Each team had chances early in the third, but neither side was able to break through until Farrell shook off a defender and ripped a shot past Darrach. However, Tyack responded with his third at the 3:57 mark to cut the deficit down to 10-6. After that marker, it was Denison who kept up the attack recording seven of the next nine shots forcing three stops out of Scarborough before Kenney bested the keeper. Dickinson came back once again with Campbell hitting the net for the third time, but Gavin Pappas responded by slamming home a rebound off a Scarborough save to pull within 11-8 with just over a minute remaining. 

The Red and White added to their lead just over a minute into the fourth with Sascha Gannon navigating through the Big Red traffic to rip a shot past Darrach. A goal by Bresnahan made it 12-9, followed almost two minutes later with a goal from Camden Bowdy to cut the deficit to just 12-10 still with 10:53 left. On the ensuing faceoff, DC went right down the field and got the goal back as Gannon put away his second of the game. The Devils then called on Scarborough to stand tall turning aside two shot attempts as Denison continued to try and cut into the deficit. That led to DC capping off the scoring on the night with exactly seven minutes left with Griffin Moore fitting the rock through an extremely tight window to set the 14-10 final.    

Red Devil Leaders

Goals - Campbell and Thurston (3), Gannon, Isaacson, and Porter (2)

Assists - Schluter (3)

Groundballs - Capp Reynolds (5), Thurston (3)

Saves - Scarborough (18)

Big Red Leaders

Goals - Tyack (3)

Assists - Bowdy (5)

Groundballs - Davis Cronin (9), Sean Bailey (6)

Saves - Darrach (5), Spahn (3)

Up Next

Dickinson (7-0) will now have some time before their next game. As they begin Centennial Conference play next Saturday at 3 p.m. when the Red and White travel to Swarthmore.