School Record Set in Conference Win Over Wilkes

EDWARDSVILLE, PA - The Goucher College Gophers (4-8 overall, 1-3 conference) traveled to face the Colonels of Wilkes University (4-8 overall, 1-3 conference). A steady offense and a strong defensive second half propelled the Gophers to their first conference victory, 20-13.

The Gophers' offense came out quickly, with Milan Temple scoring the first two goals of the contest, with Jacob Morgan and Gianni Karam recording the assists. With this assist, Morgan surpassed the previous school record of 273 total career points, set in 2012. Just under three minutes into the contest, Scott Tayman added the next goal, giving Goucher an early 3-0 lead. Wilkes responded a few minutes later to add their first of the contest. Aaron Butera won the ensuing faceoff, which led to a goal from Tayman from Morgan. The Colonels responded a minute later, bringing the score to 4-2. Jack Murdaugh grabbed the ball off the faceoff for Karam and Morgan to team up for Goucher's fifth, less than 30 seconds later. A minute later, Morgan found the back of the net with a pass from Kevin Gearhart. The game fell scoreless for three minutes, which featured Josh Steinmiller's first save of the contest. Tayman added the final goal of the quarter with 3:11 on the clock, bringing the score to 7-2. 

The Gophers opened the quarter with a man-down goal from Karam off a pass from Murdaugh. Wilkes added the next goal just over a minute later, following a saved shot. Over the next three minutes, the teams combined for six shots before Morgan broke through, and then Tayman followed 30 seconds later, giving the Gophers 10. The Colonels' offense rallied, adding three goals over the next three minutes (6:16). The scoring run was ended after a goal from Morgan seconds later. Wilkes ended the half, adding three more goals in a two-minute span. Late saves from Steinmiller kept the Gophers in the lead, 11-9. 

Murdaugh opened the scoring in the second half, after Eli Jean-Jacques won the ball back for the Gophers off a caused turnover; however, Wilkes responded off the faceoff. Steinmiller gave the Gophers the advantage after a save, which led to a goal from Temple off a pass from Jean-Jacques. Under two minutes later, Cole Smith stormed down the field after picking up a groundball, passing to Karam, who found the back of the net. The play remained neutral for two minutes before Temple and Karam teamed up to give Goucher the five-goal lead. Just over 30 seconds later, Morgan and Jean-Jacques worked together to add a man-up goal. Wilkes' offense came to life, adding five shots over a minute, before they finally found the back of the net (5:02). Despite this, Karam responded after the Gophers won the faceoff. The final goal of the quarter came with seconds left, to bring the score to 17-12 heading into the final quarter. 

The final quarter became a showcase for the goalies over the first seven minutes. Between the two goalies, there were a combined seven saves, five of which came from Steinmiller. Nick Gambone gave the Gophers the possession after causing a turnover that Jack Schiavone scooped up. This led to Karam and Morgan teaming up for the first goal of the quarter (5:35). The following shot attempts for Wilkes were unable to break through, leading to a transition goal from Jean-Jacques from a Morgan pass. The final goal for the Colonels came with 1:55 on the clock, but a goal from Karam capped the contest to bring the final score to 20-13.

Morgan led the team with nine points off four goals and five assists. Karam followed closely behind with eight points, off six goals and two assists. Mason Bowler led the defense with two caused turnovers, while Schiavone grabbed six groundballs. 

Steinmiller recorded 60 minutes in net, earning 17 saves off the 30 shots faced. With this, Steinmiller recorded his 200th career save. The faceoff team combined for 15-35, with Butera leading the team, going 12-27. Mason Wolf contributed 3-4, while Sean Phillips went 0-4.

The Colonels outshot the Gophers, 56-44, and grabbed more groundballs (38-31). Goucher went 19-23 on clears, while Wilkes went 16-19.

The Gophers are back in action on Wednesday, April 8th, when they travel to face Lycoming at 4pm. The team is back home on Saturday, April 11th, when they will celebrate their seniors prior to the 1pm faceoff.