GAMBIER, Ohio – The Kenyon College men's lacrosse team delivered a commanding performance Saturday afternoon at Benson Bowl, overwhelming Capital University 18-2 in a non-conference matchup. The win improves Kenyon's record to 3-1 overall while Capital drops to 0-2 on the season.
Kenyon seized control immediately. Senior Will Jordan won the opening faceoff, setting the tone for a dominant afternoon at the X, and the Owls quickly applied pressure in their offensive end. After testing Capital goalkeeper Wyatt Stemler early, senior Gavin Gumucio broke through les than two minutes into the first quarter, finishing the game's opening goal to put Kenyon ahead 1-0. The Owls continued to capitalize on possession as Jordan controlled draws and the defense forced early turnovers. At 10:29, junior Lucas Flynn netted his first goal of the season off an assist from Gumucio. Just 25 seconds later, Tanner Lewis buried a feed from Harrison Curtiss to stretch the lead to 3-0.
The offense continued to build momentum. Alex Haag found the cage at 9:29 and struck again a few seconds later off a Lewis assist to make it 5-0. Capital briefly responded with a goal from Charlie Howenstine midway through the quarter, but Kenyon answered swiftly. Flynn recorded his second goal of the day again assisted by Gumucio, giving the Owls a 6-1 advantage. Defensively, senior goalkeeper Adam Hall anchored a suffocating effort, turning away multiple first-quarter attempts, including back-to-back saves on Aiden Evans and Elliott Rhoton.
The second quarter was a continuation of Kenyon's dominance. Senior David Chintala opened the scoring at 12:32, weaving through traffic to extend the lead to 7-1. After a caused turnover by Harry Clark led to another clear, Lewis struck again. Moments later, Chintala assisted Davis Minzler at 9:53, and less than a minute later he finished a feed from Will Dunhill to push the margin to 10-1. Charlie Fields added a goal at 7:37, and Mike Kapral followed off Lewis' second assist of the afternoon. Haag capped the half with his third goal with a minute left, finishing a Chintala assist to send Kenyon into halftime with a commanding 13-1 lead.
Chintala's performance carried historical significance. The senior recorded his third hat trick of the season and added his first hat trick of assists this year, totaling six points. He fired 15 shots with seven on target and scooped a ground ball. With his career total now at 212 points, he sits third all-time in program history and just one point behind Devin Catlin '09 for second (213).
Kenyon maintained its edge in the third quarter. Chintala opened the half's scoring to make it 14-1, and Henry Wooster followed at 9:03. About three minutes later, Harrison Curtiss buried a Chintala assist as the Owls continued to move the ball crisply and dictate tempo. The defense remained active, contributing to 13 caused turnovers by 13 different players on the afternoon, while Jordan continued to win key faceoffs and scoop up loose balls.
Capital managed its second goal early in the fourth quarter, but the Owls quickly responded. Roger Muckenfuss netted his first career goal at 13:42, and later assisted Vincent Trueworthy's tally to cap the scoring at 18-2. Muckenfuss finished the day with his first career goal and assist in the same outing.
Haag recorded his first hat trick of the season, finishing with three goals on eight shots, seven of which were on target, along with two ground balls. Lewis contributed four points on two goals and two assists, while Flynn delivered a perfect 2-for-2 shooting line in his first multi-goal outing of the year. Gumucio totaled three points on a goal and two assists and added two ground balls. Curtiss also chipped in a goal and an assist.
Jordan dominated both the ground ball and faceoff battles, collecting a game-high nine ground balls and winning ten of 15 draws. Hall finished with ten saves while allowing just two goals, bringing his season save percentage to .550. In total, ten different Owls found the back of the net as Kenyon overwhelmed Capital in every phase of the game.
Up next, the Owls will have a brief break before beginning a three-game road stretch in Pennsylvania on Sunday, March 1, starting with a matchup against York College. First faceoff is set for 1 p.m.
