Playing through steady rain on Phelps Stadium, Exeter boys lacrosse pulled away in the second half to earn a hard-fought 9-8 victory over Kimball Union Academy on Wednesday afternoon.

Locked in a 5-5 tie at halftime, the two teams continued to trade blows deep into the third quarter. Trailing 6-5 with six minutes remaining in the period, John Griffin sparked Big Red by streaking down the right side and ripping a shot into the left side of the net to even the score once again.

Just one minute later, Church Salathe gave Exeter its first lead of the second half. Taking a feed from Tommy Lombardi, Salathe worked to his right and bounced home a shot from 12 yards out to put Big Red in front, 7-6. Exeter added to the momentum only 30 seconds later when Hayden Soucy scooped up a ground ball at midfield, sprinted straight down the center of the field, and buried a shot past the KUA goalie for an 8-6 advantage.

Kimball Union answered immediately, winning the ensuing faceoff and racing downfield for a goal with 4:42 remaining in the third quarter to cut the lead back to one.

Exeter maintained that slim edge into the fourth quarter before Salathe struck again early in the period, going top-shelf from the right side to extend the lead to 9-7. The goal ultimately proved to be the game-winner, although KUA responded one minute later to once again pull within a single goal.

The Big Red defense stood firm over the closing minutes, disrupting possessions and forcing several key turnovers to preserve the victory. Goalie Jack Marquardt, who also contributed a goal and an assist in the first half, came up with several important saves late to anchor the defensive effort.

Big Red returns to action on Friday with a road trip to Proctor Academy for a 5:00 p.m. start before returning home Saturday to host Northfield Mount Hermon School at 12:00 p.m.