BLACK MOUNTAIN, N.C.— The Montreat men's lacrosse team dropped its third matchup of the season as the team fell to the No. 6-ranked Keiser University Seahawks at Pulliam Stadium early Sunday afternoon. With the 15-7 loss, the Cavaliers moved to 0-3 in 2023 and 0-2 in Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) play.
Keiser (6-0, 3-0 AAC) notched the initial two goals of the game before the Cavaliers pulled a goal back with an extra man opportunity late in the first quarter.
Brayden Hittle finished off a pass from
Connor Walsh for his first collegiate goal to cut the deficit to one (2-1) after 15 minutes.
The Seahawks then registered all three tallies in the second frame to lead 5-1 at the break. The visitors led nearly every statistical category by dominating possession as KU edged Montreat in shots (30-10), shots on goal (20-8), faceoff wins (8-0), caused turnovers (6-0) and ground balls (22-17); however, goalkeeper
Jay Chance recorded 15 first-half saves, including 10 in the second period alone, to keep the Cavs within range of their counterparts.
After Keiser extended its advantage to five (6-1),
Jake Mrozienski scored his first career goal midway through the third quarter, but the Seahawks responded with a trio of goals to go up 9-2. An own goal brought the score to 9-3 with 15 minutes left.
Mrozienski added his second of the game early in the fourth frame before Keiser answered with another 3-spot to lead 12-4 with 9:54 remaining. Walsh netted his third of the season to break up KU's string of six goals that saw the Seahawks extend their lead to double digits (15-5) with 3:19 on the clock.
Ben Stephenson grabbed a pair of late goals, but it wasn't enough to get the Cavs back into the game as the home side fell by eight.
Keiser led in shots (54-24), shots on goal (34-16), faceoff wins (21-5), caused turnovers (9-5) and ground balls (44-31). Chance ended the game with a season-high 19 saves for a .559 save percentage.
Men's lacrosse looks for its first win of the 2023 season when the Cavaliers host the University of Michigan-Dearborn on Saturday. Opening faceoff at Pulliam Stadium is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
