ST. DAVID'S, Pa. – The seventh-ranked York College men's lacrosse team rode the momentum from a 6-1 first-quarter lead and received another stellar defensive effort to earn an 11-3 road victory at Eastern on Saturday afternoon.

Records

#7 York: 2-0 

Eastern: 0-1

Statistics

Score: York 11, Eastern 3

Shots: YCP 48, EU 25

Shots on Goal: YCP 25, EU 13

Ground Balls: YCP 34, EU 31

Face-Offs: YCP 7-for-16, EU 9-for-16

Clears: YCP 23-for-24, EU 18-for-23

Extra Man: YCP 2-for-6, EU 0-for-4

Saves: YCP 13, EU 14

Turnovers: YCP 17, EU 21

Penalties: YCP 4-for-3:00, EU 6-for-5:30

How It Happened

• The Spartans set the tone early with six first-quarter goals to start the game. Gunnar Reynolds tallied the first goal the game less than four minutes in and 19 seconds later, York tacked on another as Will Harnick buried a shot on an unsettled play set up by a face-off win and an assist by J.T. Kidd. Eric Ranck posted the final two tallies of the first quarter to give York a 6-1 lead as York also won the ground ball (12-8) and turnover (2-6) battles in the opening frame.

• York had plenty of opportunities again in the second quarter, but struggled to cash in as turnovers (9) kept the Spartans from breaking the game wide open. Chandler Schmidt tallied the lone goal for either side in the quarter as he received a helper from Harnick. The Spartan defensive unit played a key role in the second quarter as they held Eastern to just three total shots and killed off two Eagle man-up opportunities.

• York once again struggled to come up with offensive production in the third quarter, failing to convert on three extra-man opportunities, but the defense picked up the slack and preserved the lead. The Eagles put four of their seven shots on net in the quarter, but were turned away three times by Jack Michael, while the rest of the defensive unit forced three Eastern turnovers. Ames Clark managed to give York a little momentum heading into the fourth quarter as his goal with 1:05 left in the third ended a near 28-minute scoring drought for the Spartans.

• The Spartans came out in the fourth quarter determined to put the game to bed, and did just that with three-straight goals in the first 2:22 to start the quarter to take a commanding 11-2 lead. York cashed in twice on the extra-man opportunity, first by Paul Poholksy and later by Harnick, who recorded two tallies in the quarter. York killed off two extra-man opportunities by Eastern and Michael finished the day with three more saves in the fourth quarter.

Spartan Leaders

Will Harnick: 6 points, 3 goals, 3 assists, 4 shots, 2 ground balls

Chandler Schmidt: 3 points, 2 goals, 1 assist, 6 shots, 3 ground balls

Eric Ranck: 2 points, 2 goals, 3 ground balls

Mason Smith: 3 ground balls, 2 caused turnovers

J.T. Kidd: 7-for-16 at the X, 3 ground balls, 1 assist

Eagle Leaders

Connor Killion: 2 points, 1 goal, 1 assist, 2 ground balls

Colin Piper: 2 points, 1 goal, 1 assist, 2 ground balls

Kyran Baker: 4 caused turnovers, 2 ground balls

Chris Durning: 7 ground balls, 3 caused turnovers

Anthony Firmani: 4-for-6 at the X

Goalie Comparison

Jack Michael (YCP): 60:00 minutes played, 3 goals against, 10 saves (Win, 2-0)

Adam Grant (EU): 60:00 minutes played, 11 goals against, 14 saves (Loss, 0-1)

Notes

Jack Michael has posted double-digit saves in both games to start the season as he owns a .636 save percentage to begin the year … junior transfer Chandler Schmidt has had the hot hand in his first season with the Green and White as he is averaging 3.00 goals per game and has a total of seven points in his first two games with York … freshman Will Harnick has been very productive to start his career as he now has seven points (3g, 4a) through his first two games and recorded his first-career man-up goal in today's game … Mason Smith tied his career-highs with three ground balls and two caused turnovers on the day … York extends its win streak against Eastern to seven-straight as the Spartans are now 8-1 all-time against the Eagles.

Up Next 

The Spartans return to action next Saturday with their home opener against future MAC Commonwealth rival #20 Stevenson. Opening face-off is set for 1 p.m.