CHESTER, Pa. (Apr. 2, 2016) – Freshman Matt Horton (Emmaus, Pa.) made six saves and senior Tim Taylor (Philadelphia, Pa.) factored into three markers in leading the Widener University men's lacrosse team to a 9-2 victory over Hood in the Pride's Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth opener on Saturday evening at Leslie C. Quick Stadium.
 
After a tightly contested first half that saw the teams head to recess tied at 2-2, Widener turned on the jets late in the third quarter and throughout the fourth to pull away. Junior Chris Sanchez (Flanders, N.J.) broke the deadlock by charging in for an unassisted marker with 2:53 left in the third before freshman Shane Taylor (Philadelphia, Pa.) doubled the lead a minute later.
 
The final frame belonged to the Pride, as the hosts outshot the opponent by a count of 17-4 and found the back of the net five times. Widener took full advantage of all three man-up opportunities, including one where two Blazers were called off the field at once for slashing penalties, and got markers from five different players to put the game away. Freshman Gavin Kirkwood (Basking Ridge, N.J.) found classmate Kevin Kerby (Scotch Plains, N.J.) to cap the scoring with 2:41 left in regulation.
 
Widener (2-5, MAC Commonwealth 1-0) dominated in every facet of the game, which included winning 10 of 14 faceoffs, having a commanding 56-22 advantage in total shots and winning the ground game by a count of 29-15. Horton gave up just one goal in just over 58 minutes of action while turning away six shots, while Shane Cook scooped up three ground balls and caused three turnovers. Tim Taylor paced a balanced offense with two goals and one assist.
 
Hood (4-5, MAC Commonwealth 0-2) got markers from Grayson Zubradt and Alex Villegas before being kept off the scoreboard for the remaining 33:17 of the game. John Hoffman came up with 15 saves between the pipes.
 
The Pride continue league play when they visit Alvernia on Wednesday, Apr. 6 at 7:00 p.m.