Hanover Pulls Away from Anderson in HCLC Semifinals

On Wednesday, the Anderson University men's lacrosse team traveled to Hanover to take on the Panthers of Hanover College in the Heartland Collegiate Lacrosse Conference Semifinal matchup. The Ravens entered the contest looking for redemption from earlier on in the season after dropping two contests to the Panthers. Ultimately, the third-seeded Ravens fell to the second-seeded Panthers 14-7, ending their historic 2021 season with a 3-8 record while the Panthers moved to 8-4.

The Ravens were off to a quick and explosive start in the semifinal matchup. Freshman Josh Rhodes made the first strike with an unassisted goal 2 minutes, 30 seconds into the game. Just over three minutes later, freshman Landon Lawrence found the back of the net for the first time this season and his first of the game for the Ravens on an unassisted shot. The Ravens built their lead to 3-0 with 6:29 remaining in the quarter as Cole Whatley recorded his first goal of the game, assisted by Rhodes. With time ticking away, it seemed as if the Ravens were going to end the first quarter with a shut out, but the Panthers had different plans as they found the back of the net with 43 seconds remaining on the clock. The Ravens held a 3-1 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter went in favor of the Panthers, as they took off just 41 seconds in to find their second goal of the game. Between the 12:26 and the 9:42 mark, the Panthers tied up and took the lead, recording five goals against the Ravens. Lawrence would answer for the Ravens at 8:30 with his second goal, assisted by Jacob Spratley. Hanover closed out the quarter with one final goal. The Ravens trailed the Panthers 8-4 heading into halftime.

Coming out of the half, the Ravens looked to change the game around. Whatley recorded back-to-back goal at 12:50 and 12:41, with the first assisted by Lawrence and bringing the Ravens within two of the Panthers. Hanover created a bigger gap at 8:17 with a goal to make it a 9-6 game. Spratley brought it back within two with a goal assisted by Lawrence at 3:18. The Panthers once again made it a three-goal game with 55 seconds remaining in the quarter.

The Ravens trailed the Panthers 10-7 and were unable to keep up with the Panthers in the fourth quarter as the game was coming to an end. Over the final 15 minutes, the Ravens were held scoreless as the Panthers went on to add four more goals to their total.

Four Ravens contributed to the goal scoring. Whatley led the team in goals with three on nine shots. Lawrence held down the Ravens midfield, tallying two goals, two assists, seven ground balls and two caused turnovers. Spratley and Rhodes each provided one goal and one assist. Spratley recorded five ground balls and three caused turnovers while Rhodes notched six groundballs and three caused turnovers. Goalkeeper Eric Fisher saved 17 of the 31 shots he faced in the 60 minutes of action. He led the Ravens with eight ground balls and had one caused turnover.

After the game, head coach Jacob Ashton said the following: "I'm incredibly proud of our young squad and everything we accomplished this season. We played Hanover incredibly tough and fought the entire game, including getting out to a fast lead. I am excited for what's in store for this group. God Bless Go Ravens!"

Although the Ravens 2021 season came to a close Wednesday, it's important to remember the historic season the team had. In the team's short three-year program, the 2021 season marked the program's most wins in a single season, ending with three wins, two of which came against the Earlham College Quakers, and one against the Mount St. Joseph Lions. The team recorded their first HCLC win that came on April 17 against the Lions in a 19-9 victory. Cole Whatley became the record holder for the programs single-game goals record with seven goals. In total, the Ravens ended the season with a 3-8 overall record and a 2-2 conference record, earning both of their wins at home in Macholtz Stadium. The Ravens found the goal 100 times, averaging a program-record 9.09 goals per game. Anderson also limited opponents to a program-record 12.45 goals per game. 

One final congratulations to the two seniors, Josh Ekberg and Tristan Wilbrandt, on their careers as Ravens. A huge thanks for your contributions to the men's lacrosse program and Anderson University!

Be sure to stay up-to-date on the men's lacrosse team as they look forward to the 2022 season!