GAFFNEY, S.C. – The nationally 16^th-ranked Limestone University men's lacrosse team dominated all phases of the game for one of its most complete performances of the season, running past Lincoln Memorial University, 23-2, in South Atlantic Conference action on Saturday, March 13, at Saints Field.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Score: No. 16 Limestone 23, Lincoln Memorial 2
Records: No. 16 Limestone (4-2, 3-2), Lincoln Memorial (0-4, 0-4)
Location: Saints Field
 
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
 

• Junior attack Owen Consoletti (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) tallied five goals and an assist
• Freshman attack Frank Smith (Bayville, N.Y.) added two goals and four assists on the day
• Senior attack Gavin Kesselring (Atlanta, Ga.) chipped in three goals and an assist
• Sophomore attack Jackson Braswell (Greenville, S.C.) posted a second straight hat trick
• Sophomore attack Ethan Stannard (Caledon, Ontario) also registered a three-goal game
• Senior midfielder Mike Carpenter (Queensbury, N.Y.) finished with a pair of scores
• Senior Christopher Parrott (Havre de Grace, Md.) went 10-of-10 at the "X" with 10 groundballs
• Senior Dakota Kirsch-Downs (Odenton, Md.) finished 8-of-8 in the circle with eight groundballs
• Junior keeper Shawn Howell (Mattituck, N.Y.) allowed just two goals to go with three saves
• Limestone went 24-of-27 in faceoff attempts and outshot the Railsplitters, 55-16, on the day
• The Saints forced 27 LMU turnovers and held Lincoln Memorial to a 10-of-25 clip in clear attempts – the Blue and Gold also held a commanding 55-26 edge in groundballs

 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
First Quarter
 
Smith got the day started for the Saints, taking it unassisted for his ninth goal of the season to put the Blue and Gold in front, before Consoletti made it 2-0 just over five minutes into the game. The Railsplitters would cut that lead in half, 2-1, midway through the opening period on an unassisted score.
 
Junior midfielder Connor Hoch (York, Pa.) tallied his first goal the year, bouncing the rock past the keeper off an assist from Smith, before Braswell put Limestone on top, 4-1, with 5:28 remaining. The Saints would then extend their cushion to 7-1 with a flurry of goals over the final two minutes of the first quarter.
 
Consoletti tacked on another goal, taking a feed from Smith – the second of his three first-quarter assists – before Stannard scored in transition after hauling in a long pass from junior defender Nate VanBrunt (Horseheads, S.C.). Smith then found Carpenter streaking to the frame to beat the first period clock.
 
Second Quarter
 
Limestone continued to pull away early in the second on back-to-back goals by Consoletti to make it a 9-1 game a few moments into the quarter. Freshman Chris Erneston IV (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) assisted on the first score of the period before Smith logged his fourth assist of the afternoon on the ensuing goal.
 
The Saints made it 10-1 when Braswell registered his second goal before special team scores by Kesselring bookended a tally from Carpenter to close out the opening half. Freshman Davis Weakley (Baldswinsville, N.Y.) set up the extra-man goal before Kesselring scored a man down with 4 ticks left.
 
Third Quarter
 
Kesselring would have his hand in yet another man-down goal about a minute into the second half, finding Smith from behind the cage to give Limestone a 14-1 cushion. Braswell then completed his hat trick off an assist by Consoletti before Kesselring split the cage for his second man-up goal of the game.
 
Lincoln Memorial snapped a string of 14 unanswered goals by Limestone with 5:59 left, but Consoletti tacked on his fifth goal before Stannard added two more scores to make it 19-2 at the end of the third. The Saints got assists from sophomore Bennett Nesbitt (Marietta, Ga.), freshman Jason Thomfohrde (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), and sophomore Tanner Longo (Cold Spring Habor, N.Y.) during that stretch.   
 
Fourth Quarter
 
Thomfohrde put the Saints at the 20-goal mark with 12:51 remaining before junior defenseman Steve Werner (Dallastown, Pa.) scored in transition off an assist from Longo, giving the Saints a comfortable 21-2 cushion. A pair of rookies then got in on the outburst in the closing minutes as freshman Aiden Edison (Sun Prairie, Wisc.) and freshman Thomas Roth (Orlando, Fla.) both scored their first career goals.
 
TURNING POINT
 
It took a while for the offense to get warmed up as the Saints held a slim 2-1 margin midway through the opening period, but the Blue and Gold went off for five goals over the last six minutes of the first. That was the start of a commanding 14-0 run that stretched into the third as Limestone built up a 16-1 margin.
 
NOTABLES
 

• Saturday's game was the first between the Limestone and Lincoln Memorial programs
• Limestone snapped a four-game stretch in which the opponent finished with more shots
• The Saints limited the Railsplitters to 16 shot attempts on the day
• The Blue and Gold did turn the ball over at least 20 times for the fifth time this season
• Limestone recorded a man-down goal for the first time since the 2017 season
• The Saints tied a program record with two man-down goals on Saturday
• After logging just 10 goals in the previous two games, Limestone has posted 41 goals this week

 
UP NEXT
 
The Blue and Gold continues its home stand when it hosts Tusculum University on Saturday, March 20, at Saints Field. Game time is set for 12 p.m.