WINCHESTER, Va. -- In their first game action in almost two weeks, the men's lacrosse team went back to work in conference play, this time in Virginia against Shenandoah. In a tightly contested battle between the Hornets (fifth in ODAC) and the Quakers (eighth in ODAC), SU pulled away in large part to a second period surge, dropping GC to the 18-8 defeat. 

Guilford's record now sits at 6-9, 2-5 in conference play, with crucial games up ahead for the upcoming ODAC tournament. Shenandoah's record now goes to 9-6, 5-2 against conference opponents.

Darius Safavi-Abbassi (Culver City, Calif.) took the loss and his record drops to 6-7, conceding 18 goals, but made 14 saves on the day with a percentage of .452. Shenandoah netminder Mark Isabelle had a day, with only eight conceded and 13 stops, as his record improved to 9-6.

All eight of Guilford's goals came from different scorers, Dirk Meinhart (Garfield, Ky.) the only Quaker with a multipoint effort, bagging an assist as well. Defenders Wyatt Dwyer (Seattle, Wash.) and Drew Sizemore (Greensboro, N.C.) tied for the most caused turnovers on the squad with three each. 

Jax Atkins (Mechanicsville, Va.) manned the majority of faceoffs in the circle, winning 10 of 23, while grabbing a team high six ground balls. 

A break in games seemed to be just what the visitors needed, as Bashwyn Fitch (Charleston, S.C) got the scoring underway before the first minute even came to a close. A few minutes of settling in occurred, and after Sizemore caused a Hornet turnover, Guilford used their ensuing clear to set up their second goal in as many minutes, Seth Woods (Hilton Head Island, S.C) with the scoring effort. Shenandoah seemed to be frazzled by GC's defense, but got their plan back on track by taking a Guilford turnover, and running down the field for their first score just two minutes later; still 2-1 in the Quakers' favor. SU's defense locked down, causing two more balls to go their way, the latest being one that would be crucial to their efforts. Logan Clingerman was on the sheet once more, this time picking up a score after assisting their previous one. Guilford defended their best to try and take a tie into the second stanza, but the Hornets were relentless in the offensive zone, and capitalized on yet another Quaker turnover, netting their third to take a one-goal lead after the conclusion of the first period.

Identical to the first, the Quakers found an almost instant score; Jacob Mills (Culpeper, Va.) got the dish from Jason Campbell (Fairfax, Va.), and tied up the contest at three apiece under a minute into second period play. However, the Hornets were able to put their foot on the gas, and string together a series of plays that would open up the game in dominant fashion. Four goals in five minutes for the home side knotted them a cushion that flipped the game around. Meinhart alleviated previous events by scoring GC's fourth, but SU was right back at it, capitalizing on more turnovers, and progressing themselves to the offensive zone to net their eighth, restoring their four-goal cushion. They would find their ninth with the clock ticking under 40 seconds, Guilford headed into the halftime break down 9-4. 

Shenandoah flipped the script by scoring their own fast goal as the third began, with just under a minute into action, they reached the double-digit mark in scores. Guilford showed their resolve, with backs seemingly against the wall later on. Gabe Alvarez (Cary, N.C.) and Atkins tagged on two quick goals to cut SU's lead to just four, but then Shenandoah replied with a pair of their own, reverting their lead back to six. An array of Quaker shots at SU goalkeeper Isabelle were to no avail as time ticked by. Right at the five-minute mark, the Hornets strung together an effective ground ball pickup to clear and score, as they stretched the game to seven scores. Shenandoah would do the same once more as the period wound down, making the score 14-6, with Guilford needing to mount a large comeback in the final stanza.

Guilford would tag on a pair of scores in the fourth from Andrew Burch (Cary, N.C.) and Aimery Workman (High Point, N.C.), but were doubled by Shenandoah's four, capping off the afternoon with an 18-goal game, and defeating the Quakers 18-8 overall. 

Guilford enters the last week of regular season play with two crucial ODAC contests on their slate back at Armfield Athletic Center, looking to lock down a postseason spot for the first time since 2021. Averett is the first on Wednesday, April 24, with start time set for 7:00 p.m.