JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville University men's lacrosse team (5-3, 2-0 SoCon) has its first win streak of the season following a decisive, 18-12, victory over VMI (1-4, 0-2) at home on Saturday afternoon.

"It is hard to find many positives after today's performance," head coach John Galloway said. "I thought VMI outplayed us in most phases of the game, and we didn't handle adversity throughout. Our emotional maturity and mental toughness was challenged for 60 minutes, and our response was not championship caliber. Without the special performances of Jack Dolan, Jason Yoquinto and Nathan Kapp, the result may have been different. I am motivated and excited to be back to practice Monday to be a better coach for this team."

It all started with Nathan Kapp who was near unbeatable in the faceoff circle. Kapp won 26 of 30 faceoffs, earning the second-most wins in a single game in program history. He was chasing his own record of 28, set earlier this season opposite Bellarmine. Kapp added an assist to his effort. Meanwhile, Jason Yoquinto continued to dazzle in goal, making 12 more saves to earn his third win of the season.

On the scoring side, it was seven more points for Jack Dolan. He scored four times and handed out three assists, matching his season-high point total from just a week ago. Dolan caused a turnover and picked up a ground ball for good measure. Matt Stagnitta contributed two goals and three assists to account for his five points while Jacob Greiner stayed hot in his second game since returning from injury with two goals and two assists.

Troy Hettinger and Curtis Goddard each canned a hat trick and Jeremy Winston built his three points on two goals and an assist. Evan Tyler fired home two goals and Ibrahim Pio contributed an assist to round out the scoring in this one.

Jack Heed (3), Colin Hinton (2) and Jordan Young (2) all caused multiple turnovers. Kapp picked up 18 ground balls to leave everyone but Hinton and Smith picked up four each. Young, Yoquinto and Jake Antonucci all had three and Heed, Zack Deaken and Tyler Morris had two.

As a team the Dolphins put 32 of 44 shots on goal but battled against 24 turnovers and a 21-25 mark in the clear game. Jacksonville did best VMI, 50-33, in ground balls and forced the Keydets into 18 turnovers of their own.

Curtis Goddard bookended the scoring in this one, canning the first and last goals of the matchup for JU. This game was tight early as the two sides traded goals over the first four and a half minutes of the game. Hettinger broke the 2-2 tie after a nine-minute scoring drought to put JU ahead, 3-2 heading into the second quarter.

Hettinger's tally was the first of four straight for JU as the cushion grew to 6-2 following Tyler's first. But VMI score three of the four remaining goals in the half to leave the Dolphins with just a 7-5 advantage heading into the locker rooms.

The Keydets scored two of the first three goals in the third, pulling to with one, 8-7, of Jacksonville before Tyler's second took to the lid off and started another run of four consecutive goals for the Dolphins. Kapp was booked for a three-minute penalty around the eight-minute mark but Hettinger capped the run with a man-down score to make it 12-7 Jacksonville with 7:39 left in the third.

VMI scored first in the fourth quarter but Jacksonville matched, and the goal-trading continued from then on. Jacksonville outscored VMI 5-4 in the fourth quarter to lock up the 18-12 victory and to stay unbeaten to date in SoCon play. The Dolphins are now 2-0 in SoCon for the third time in as many seasons under head coach John Galloway.

Jacksonville will take a break from SoCon play next week and travel to Fort Mill, S.C. for a neutral site date with Robert Morris at Fort Mill High School. That matchup will start at 12 p.m. The Dolphins return home and resume SoCon action on Apr. 10 opposite Air Force.