OBERLIN – The College of Wooster men's lacrosse team could not replicate its regular season win against Oberlin College on Wednesday, exiting the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament with a 13-7 loss in the semifinal.
 
The Scots took the prior meeting, 12-11, earlier this month as both teams finished the year in a five-way tie for the regular season title. Oberlin played as the top seed on Wednesday and hosted Wooster, the fourth seed.
 
The game started like most others with Wooster on the wrong end of the faceoff, but Wooster's ability to force turnovers has made them a disruptive team. That's how Wooster got on the board first thanks to a man-up goal from Owen Thompson.
 
Oberlin answered quickly on a goal from Cooper Zancosky. The first shot attempt got by NCAC Athlete of the Week Case Lowery, but the sophomore made the next two saves against him.
 
However, Oberlin was able to take its first lead after a quick clear on a score by Jacob Starcke with 9:34 remaining in the first.
 
Stellar defense from both sides stalled the scoring until Wooster's John Allen Ginder tied the game at 2-2 with a minute left in the quarter.
 
Unfortunately, 30 seconds later and falling down on the shot, Nicholas Cuda gave Oberlin the advantage again, for 3-2 lead at the end of one quarter of play.
 
In the second, Oberlin started to control the flow of the game, scoring the first four to make it a string of five unanswered goals from the Yeomen.
 
Two minutes in, Oberlin's Asher Friedman wrapped around the back of the goal and came out with Oberlin's fourth goal of the game, and almost a minute later, Friedman found the back of the net again.
 
Cuda capitalized with his second goal with 10:41 left in the second quarter. Later, Zancosky scored his second off a tight angle making it 7-2 with 9:25 left in the half.
 
Wooster stopped the bleeding when Ginder found Jack Holub for the score with 4:42 left in the half. The Scots then took another man-up opportunity and connected again, Holub scoring his second off the assist from Lane Kellogg.
 
Oberlin got two back before the end of the half, Friedman scoring near the post for his third goal of the game and Cooper Rand scoring his first from about 20 yards out. Oberlin led 9-4 at halftime.
 
Wooster cut the deficit slightly in the third, which wound up being their best quarter at 3-2. Kellogg scored Wooster's first and last goal of the quarter, while Holub scored his team high third.
 
Both of Kellogg's goals came with a defender in his face and put him at 161 in his career, leaving him one shy of Tom Bennett's 162 (1990-93) goal record.
 
In the fourth, Oberlin was able to control the pace again as Anders Burrows scored the only two goals in the quarter with 6:53 and 2:36 on the clock.
 
Lowery made 14 saves, while Oberlin outshot the Scots 45-23. Oberlin also won all but two faceoffs, while both teams each committed 22 turnovers.
 
Wooster's Domenic Cuda finished with four caused turnovers and seven groundballs. Cuda, with 137 groundballs this season, finishes shy of Jimmy Fisher's 124 single season groundball record.
 
In addition, Cuda already broke the program's single season caused turnover record but is now at 93, tying Frank Krugfrom DeSales (2019) for most caused turnovers in a season in Division III history.
 
Oberlin improves to 12-5, while Wooster moves to 12-6, still seeking its first NCAC Tournament victory. Oberlin will host Ohio Wesleyan University in the championship game on Saturday.