Box Score Lafayette Hill, Pa. - (3/15/2015) – Chestnut Hill College got another crack at a nationally ranked foe this afternoon when they welcomed #15 Wheeling Jesuit University (WJU) to Victory Field #1 for a non-conference clash. The Griffins found themselves ahead 4-3 in the second quarter, but the Cardinals put the clamps on during a stretch of four unanswered goals spanning halftime that helped them leave with a 10-7 decision on a blustery day. Junior attack George Markey (Branchburg, N.J.) led the resistance with two goals and two assists for his third game with at least four points.
 
Chestnut Hill College (2-3) was faced with an early deficit after freshman midfielder Sam Horning (Colorado Springs, Colo.) staked Wheeling Jesuit University (4-2) to a 1-0 head start at 12:21 of the first period. The Griffins, who rattled the crossbar on two of their first three shots, stormed ahead with a three-goal spurt spearheaded by sophomore attack Alec Dambach (Howell, N.J.), who scored unassisted to get the home side on the board, 1-1 (10:30). Markey hooked up with sophomore midfielder Justin Albarran (Freehold, N.J.) for the go-ahead marker, 2-1 (0:22), before Dambach set up junior attack Michael Plaia (Hicksville, N.Y.) almost five minutes into the second quarter, 3-1 (10:25).
 
Senior attack Duston Doudelet (Toronto, Ontario) erased the Griffin gap with back-to-back goals, but senior midfielder Christopher Mertens (Freeport, N.Y.) got it right back with his first goal of the season, 4-3 (5:25). But the Cardinals took control from there, with freshman attack Dereck Downs (Toronto, Ontario) scoring 18 seconds later, 4-4 (5:07) and ultimately giving the visitors the lead for good on a marker 18 seconds before halftime, 5-4 (0:18). WJU continued to shut down the Chestnut Hill College attack, holding the hosts scoreless in the third period and taking a 7-4 lead into the final frame. Markey's unassisted tally ended the Cardinals stranglehold and brought the Griffins to within 7-5 with 11:31 remaining, but WJU scored twice in a 29-second span to extend the margin to 9-5 midway through the quarter (7:30). Markey scored by himself and fed freshman attack Dylan Klusaritz (Slatington, Pa.) for a man-up goal, 9-7 (1:11), but the Cardinals scored 10 ticks later to end Chestnut Hill College's comeback hopes.
 
Downs and Doudelet each netted three goals for WJU, with the former adding an assist. Horning and fellow freshman Matt Lee (Toronto, Ontario) scored twice apiece, while another rookie – midfielder Zak Semere (Springfield, Va.) – gave the Cardinals a big boost by winning 8-of-12 (66.7%) faceoffs and scooping up six ground balls. Freshman goalkeeper Collin Smith (Plymouth, Va.) finished with 12 saves (10 in the second half) to earn the win (4-2).

Dambach supported Markey with a three-point afternoon on a goal and two assists for Chestnut Hill College, which enjoyed a 35-29 shot advantage. Mertens picked up a team-best four ground balls and caused a turnover, while sophomore Daniel DePasquale (Livingston, N.J.), three caused turnovers and two ground balls, and junior Derick Darnulc (Baldwin, N.Y.), three ground balls and two caused turnovers, served as the Griffins' defensive stoppers. Sophomore Thomas McDermott (Holmes, Pa.) (2-3) racked up 12 saves between the pipes, with six coming in each half.
 
The Griffins continue their challenging schedule on Wednesday, March 18, when they head north to take on the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) – currently ranked 4^th in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II – for a 3:00 p.m. opening draw.