ARNOLD, Md. – The Anne Arundel Community College men's lacrosse team opened the season with a 22-3 victory over visiting Sussex County Community College Saturday afternoon at Siegert Field. The Riverhawks never trailed in the game and used a 14-goal run spanning the second, third, and fourth quarters to put the game out of reach for the Skylanders.
Sam Barrett led AACC with seven goals and a pair of assists, while Logan Wheeler added four goals and five assists. Trevor Murray and John McElhenny each scored four goals and assisted another. Murray was key at the faceoff x, winning 18 of 28 draws.
Barrett scored the first goal of the game less than two minutes in, and AACC led, 3-0, by the midpoint of the first quarter.
A man-up goal by the Skylanders with 1:13 left in the opening frame didn't faze the Riverhawks, who struck twice more in the final 15 seconds of the quarter to head into the break up, 5-1.
AACC scored the first three goals of the second quarter before giving up a second man-up goal to the Skylanders. The Riverhawks again remained composed and had a pair of goals late in the quarter to start the 14-goal run and head to halftime up, 10-2.
The Riverhawks outscored the Skylanders, 6-0, in the third quarter, limiting Sussex to just three shots in the stanza, all handled easily by starting keeper Parrish Fleming. He finished the day with eight saves and two goals allowed in 53 minutes of action.
AACC added six more to the spree in the fourth, netting the first four goals while man up. The Riverhawks finished the day 5-for-8 with the man advantage.
Sussex got its final goal of the game with 1:46 left to play, also with the man advantage. The Skylanders scored all three goals while man up, finishing 3-for-7.
Rocco Gargano closed out the game in net for AACC, making two saves and allowing one goal.
AACC outshot Sussex, 62-22, overall and 36-13 in shots on goal. Skylanders keeper Liam McCluggage made 14 saves.
The Skylanders turned the ball over 27 times, forced 11 times by AACC. Jack Schiavone recorded three caused turnovers, while McElhenny and TJ Swann each had a pair.
AACC picked up 43 groundballs to Sussex's 30, and cleared the ball effectively, going 19-for-25.
The season-opening win marked the first for AACC since the 2020 season. The Riverhawks are back in action on Saturday, March 2, hosting Delaware Tech in a 1 p.m. game.