Trojans Roll to WHAC Quarterfinal Victory Over Michigan-Dearborn
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 7 |
|
|
2 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 16 |
Team Stats
Michigan-Dearborn
| Game Statistics | Michigan-Dearborn | #RV Taylor |
|---|---|---|
| Shots | 34 | 55 |
| Ground Balls | 28 | 52 |
| Saves | 17 | 14 |
| Clears | 16-27 | 27-27 |
| Turnovers | 28 | 21 |
| Face Offs Won | 11 | 14 |
| Man Up | 0-6 | 0-4 |
UPLAND, Ind. – The Taylor men's lacrosse team added another chapter to its historic 2026 campaign on Tuesday afternoon in front of a large and energetic crowd at Wheeler Field, posting a 16-7 win over Michigan-Dearborn in the WHAC Tournament Quarterfinals.
The victory in Taylor's first-ever home postseason contest marked TU's first-ever on-field postseason win, and pushed the Purple and Gray to the 10-win plateau for the first time in program history.
The Trojans started fast with a pair of goals from Jude Wood for a 2-0 lead and then got back-to-back scores from AJ Harris for a 4-2 cushion.
The action began to tilt in Taylor's favor in the closing minutes of the second period, as TU rattled off five-of-six goals in the final 7:30 of the half to break open a 9-4 gap.
The run continued out of the break, with goals from Will Saxby and two from Henry Cooper for a 12-4 lead and the Trojans rode that momentum to a comfortable 16-7 win.
Cooper led the way once again, this time scoring four times to go with two assists, while Saxby and Wood finished with three goals each. Jackson Dale continued to orchestrate the attack with six assists and one goal and Kaden Mast added two goals and one helper.
The stingy Taylor defense was led by four caused turnovers and eight ground balls from Lucas Pacer, while Ben Harrell cleaned up the rest with 14 saves.
David Celesti helped TU maintain possession by winning nine-of-16 faceoffs and collecting seven ground balls.
For the game, Taylor ripped off 24 more shots than UMD (7-11) and forced the visitors into 28 turnovers.
RV Taylor (10-8) will advance to the WHAC Semifinals for the first time in program history and will play at No. 1 Madonna (16-1) in a 4:00 pm start on Thursday, April 30.
