LATROBE, Pa. (Apr. 10)- The Saint Vincent men's lacrosse team used a strong defensive effort to defeat Westminster, 15-5 on Wednesday afternoon.
 
The Bearcats (4-7, 2-1 PAC) held the Titans (7-5, 2-2 PAC) to just two goals in the first half, outscoring them 9-2, including shutting them out in the opening quarter. Saint Vincent went on to outscore Westminster 6-3 in the second half to secure the victory.
 
Saint Vincent was led by Carter Haid who scored six goals on eight shots, while also picking up a ground ball as well. Jordan Billet was solid as well, recording five points on three goals and two assists.
 
Garrett Ritts picked up the win in net, making 14 saves, while allowing just five goals. Liam McCall and Caleb Hawkins both added four points each with two goals and two assists. Justin Wodarek scored a goal and dished out one assist, while Tyler Harpst added one of each as well.
 
AJ Bricker assisted on one goal as well. Brady Beard went 10-18 on faceoffs, also picking up a team-high five ground balls. RJ Kenna scooped up four ground balls and caused two turnovers, while Shawn Ryan recorded three ground balls to add to Saint Vincent's total.
 
Bernard Farnan, Robbie Abraham, and Benhamin Wohlin also added two ground balls each.
 
SVC opened up the game with a big first quarter, where the Bearcats outscored the Titans by a 5-0 margin. Just over 40 seconds in, Haid scored his first of the game to get Saint Vincent on the board. After that, Hawkins scored his first of two at the 11:41 mark as Saint Vincent led 2-0.
 
Just over two minutes later, Haid scored his second goal of the quarter with a man-up on an assist from Wodarek, giving the Bearcats a 3-0 lead. The Saint Vincent lead increased to four with a man-down as McCall scored at the 5:34 mark.
 
SVC wasn't done yet, Haid scored his third goal of the quarter with 2:23 to go on an assist from Harpst as the Bearcats shut out the Titans heading into the second quarter.
 
It was all Saint Vincent in the second quarter as well. Less than two-minutes into the second quarter Wodarek scored on an assist from Billet to increase the Bearcats lead to 6-0. Westminster finally got on the board at the 6:44 mark of the quarter as Jonas Clark found the back of the net to cut the SVC lead to 6-1.
 
The Bearcats went on to score three of the next four goals to head into the half. Haid scored first and then Billet added two more before the end of the half, while the Titans also scored once, giving Saint Vincent a 9-2 lead at the break.
 
The teams played even in the third quarter, each scoring two goals. The Titans scored the first two out of the half on goals by Kellen Frazer and Jones' second of the game to cut the Bearcats lead to 9-4.
 
Once again, the Saint Vincent defense stepped up, holding Westminster scoreless over the final nine minutes and change in the half, while also adding two goals of their own during that span. Harpst and Billet found the back of the net to give Saint Vincent an 11-4 lead at the end of the third quarter. Harpst's goal came on a Hawkins assist, while Billet's came from Bricker.
 
Saint Vincent sealed the win in the fourth quarter, outscoring Westminster 4-1. The Bearcats scored the first four goals in the quarter, holding Westminster scoreless for almost 12 minutes. Haid scored twice, while Hawkins and McCall each scored once to seal the 15-5 victory for SVC.
 
The Bearcats outshot the Titans 41-38, including 25-21 in shots on goal. Saint Vincent had 20 turnovers, compared to 19 for Westminster. SVC was a strong 28-31 on clear attempts, while they also scooped up 29 ground balls in the win as well.
 
SVC also went 1-3 on extra man opportunities.
 
Saint Vincent returns to action on Saturday, April 13, hosting Allegheny in the first ever lacrosse night game at UPMC Field. Opening face-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. under the lights at UPMC Field on Saturday night.