GAMBIER, Ohio – In a fierce battle between North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) title contenders, the Kenyon College men's lacrosse team pushed Ohio Wesleyan University (10-3, 5-0 NCAC) to the brink on a frigid Tuesday afternoon from the Field at Benson Bowl. A fourth-quarter rally tied the game at 10, but the visiting Battling Bishops scored four out of the final five goals to escape with a 14-11 win and stay unbeaten in conference play.

The Owls now sit at 9-5 overall and 4-2 in the NCAC, with a pivotal two-game stretch ahead as they fight for a postseason berth. Only the top four teams in the conference qualify for the tournament, making next Wednesday's home game against Denison and the following matchup with Wittenberg extremely important games. 

Kenyon and OWU traded punches throughout a tightly contested first half. After falling behind 3-1 with an early tally from Hill Carter, the Owls rattled off three straight goals, one each from Tanner Lewis and David Chintala along with an own goal to take a 4-3 lead late in the first quarter. The Bishops responded with a late equalizer to knot things at four apiece.

The back-and-forth continued in the second, as both teams added two more tallies before heading into halftime tied 6-6 with Owls' goals from Carter and Chintala. 

Chintala opened the third with his third goal of the day to give Kenyon its first lead since the opening quarter, but after 45 minutes the result remained a tie, as Lewis found twine again but was answered twice by the Bishops to set the score 8-8. 

Ohio Wesleyan tried to pull away early in the fourth, but Kenyon would not let up. After trailing by two goals early, Cameron Longway ripped home a goal to make it 10-9, and Rollins Heath brought the crowd to its feet with a game-tying strike at the 8:07 mark.

However, the Bishops proved tough in the clutch, reclaiming the lead less than 90 seconds and despite a career-high third goal from Carter, the visitors rattled off a 3-1 run to close the game 14-11. 

Kenyon was led by Carter and Chintala, who each notched hat tricks. Lewis added two goals, while Heath finished with a team-high four points on one goal and three assists. Longway's fourth-quarter goal was his fifth of the season and one of Kenyon's biggest of the night.

Faceoff ace Thomas Nelson continued his dominant campaign, going 16-of-26 (61.5 percent) on draws and collecting seven ground balls. Adam Hall stood tall in goal, racking up 15 saves while Owen Breen led the defense with five caused turnovers. 

The Owls will have another tough conference test next Wednesday at home against Denison, with face off set for 4:00 pm.