The Bison men’s lacrosse team stampeded over the Lafayette Leopards 15-6 on April 13 at Christy-Mathewson Memorial Stadium. With the win, the team is now 6-1 in Patriot League play and 10-3 overall. This is the team’s fifth-straight victory, including three wins over Patriot League opponents. The streak has earned the Orange and Blue the No. 11 rank in the country.

The Bison dominated the beginning of the game with six unanswered goals to close out the first quarter. Lafayette made a small comeback in the second quarter with two goals, but the Bison were able to hold them off and run away with the game.

The story of the day was Jarett Witzal ’19. Reaching 433 career face-off wins, the junior face-off specialist broke the school record. He went 16-for-23 in the contest and had five ground balls. Witzal acknowledged his teammates for helping him reach this record.

“I can’t thank Jordy Elardo, Sam Hahn, and Sam Rosenbaum enough for what they do for me on a day-to-day basis. Their work often doesn’t make it onto the stat sheet, but they do so much for me throughout the week, giving me whatever look I need in order to prepare me for whoever my opponent is. I also need to thank my wings, Brad Landry and Bryant Boswell,” Witzal said.

On the offensive end, Reed Malas ’19 recorded a career-high seven points on the day, including five goals. Tom Smith ’19 also had five goals in the game. Both Malas and Smith have become dominant midfielders for the Bison. From the attack, Will Sands ’18 continued his stellar season, tallying one goal and three assists. Sands is now just three assists away from breaking the single-season program record.

On the defensive end, senior Benny Borgognone ’18 led the way with two caused turnovers and a game-high seven ground balls. Part of the Bison’s success can be attributed to their ground ball dominance. They held a 35-24 advantage over Lafayette in that category.

The Bison will look to keep their win streak alive as they host their Patriot League finale on April 20 against rival Lehigh. This game has the potential to decide the Patriot League regular season champion.

“I think this Lehigh game has the potential to be the game of the year,” Witzal said. “This is a rivalry game, and it’s no secret that Lehigh and us do no like each other. It is a game we have had circled since they ended our season last year. The atmosphere Friday night in Christy will be electric.”