Scots Earn Share of First-Ever NCAC Championship

Steve Burton scored four goals and added three assists against Oberlin.

The College of Wooster men’s lacrosse team clinched at least a share of its first league championship Wednesday afternoon, as 10 different Scots scored goals en route to a dominating 17-2 victory over visiting Oberlin College in North Coast Athletic Conference action at John P. Papp Stadium.

The win puts Wooster’s record at 7-4 and 4-1 in the NCAC, while Denison University (7-5, 3-1 NCAC) and Ohio Wesleyan University (7-5, 3-1 NCAC) also have just one league loss. If Denison beats fifth-place Kenyon College on Saturday and Ohio Wesleyan wins at last-place Oberlin Sunday, then there will be a three-way tie for first-place in the final NCAC standings.

The Scots, whose previous best finish in the NCAC was second in 1991, controlled the action from the outset Wednesday. In fact, the Yeomen (5-6, 0-4 NCAC) were held to just two offensive possessions in the first quarter, and Wooster scored the game’s first 12 goals.

Steve Burton paced the balanced attack with four goals and three assists, while Ben Abbott registered a hat trick and three assists for a six-point outing.

Other Scots to get in the scoring column more than once were Mike MacMaster (one goal, three assists), Shawn Handy (two goals, one assist), Eric McKinney (two goals), Andy Boylan (one goal, one assist), and Chris Vaccaro (one goal, one assist).

Wooster’s defense, which has now held six of its 11 opponents to five goals or less, was rarely tested against Oberlin, as the Scots owned a 51-14 shot advantage. In goal, Courter Shimeall and Jon Baker split time, with Shimeall making four saves and Baker totaling two to secure the win.

For the Yeomen, Ian Holljes accounted for one of its goals and assisted on the other, while goalie Jared Pickard came up with 14 stops on the day.

Wooster will wrap up the regular season Saturday afternoon at Carl Dale Memorial Field, when it welcomes Wittenberg University (4-10) for a non-league contest. They played previously in Springfield, with the Scots winning 10-5 in a game that counted towards the NCAC standings.