Photo: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com

CONWAY, Ark. (Feb. 21, 2022) – The Whittier College men's lacrosse team needed to overcome a small deficit to take down Hendrix College on the road over the weekend, but eventually came out on top with an 18-12 win over the Warriors.

The Poets would go on to account for three of the final four goals scored in the first quarter, showing they were more able to take the game over in a pinch. Three different players scored during this stretch, including senior Ronan Dooney (Portland, Ore. / Central Catholic), freshman Brayden Leggette (Aurora, Colo. / Eaglecrest) and junior Wiley Burkett (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Limestone University), who scored the final goal of the quarter on a nice pass from senior Guss Simpson (Seattle, Wash. / Ballard). The visitors would then go on to hold the host Warriors over the final six minutes of the quarter before embarking on an 11-5 stretch between the second and third quarter. It was here that junior attacker Cameron Bentley (Murrieta, Calif. / Tahoma) took the game over, scoring three of his four goals to key the Whittier run. He also led all players with 13 shots, 11 of which found a path to the opposing goalie.

Ultimately, the Poets' eventual dominance started in the faceoff circle, where the Poets won 27 of 33 opportunities. Junior Joshua Peavey (Corte Madera, Calif. / Marin Catholic) led the way in this department, conributing 19 faceoff wins alone while heading up the Whittier defense with 13 ground balls. The Poets also finished the game a perfect 12-for-12 on clears, and the defense performed admirably in front of rookie goalie Drew Low (Pullyap, Wash. / Graham-Kapowsin), who finished the day with eight saves. The win moves Whittier to 3-0 after the Poets accepted a forfeit from the University of Dallas in advance of what would have been Sunday's game, making it a perfect 3-for-3 on the road trip heading back west.

Head Coach Curt Foxx and the Poets will now have some time to recuperate before turning their attention to the home opener, which will take place on Tuesday, Mar. 1 against Eastern Pennsylvania's Widener University.

Follow and show support for your Whittier Poets on Twitter (@WCPoets), Facebook, YouTube and Instagram (@PoetAthletics)!