LAURINBURG, N.C.— In the initial contest following the passing of head coach Keith Lohmuller, the Montreat men's lacrosse team picked up its first win of the 2023 season Friday afternoon, defeating the St. Andrews University Knights on the road by a score of 12-6. With the triumph, the Cavaliers improved to 1-5 overall and 1-2 in Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) action.
 
St. Andrews (1-8, 1-4 AAC) tallied the opening goal of the competition just 1:57 into the matchup; however, the Cavs leveled the score as Ben Stephenson ripped a shot by the SAU goalie midway through the initial frame. Though the teams sat tied at one through 15 minutes, Montreat utilized a big second quarter to lead at the break.
 
Outscoring the Knights 4-0 in the latter portion of the first half, the Cavaliers collected a flurry of scores from three different players to establish their 4-goal advantage. Stephenson both started and ended the second frame with goals to conclude the opening half with a hat trick, while Connor Walsh and Johnny Miles contributed to the scoresheet to propel the visitors to a 5-1 edge at the intermission.
 
Although the home side outshot Montreat 19-15 in the half, the Cavs were more efficient with their chances, placing 10 attempts on target compared to SAU's mere seven. Jay Chance amassed six saves to hold the Knights to just one goal.
 
SAU struck early in the third, but four separate Cavaliers hit the back of the net the give Montreat a sizable 9-2 lead through three quarters of play. Brayden Hittle scored to make it 10-2 at the beginning of the final period and, despite a pair of Knights' goals, the Cavs finished off their 6-goal triumph thanks to two man-up goals with time winding down in the last frame.
 
St. Andrews registered more shots overall (41-33), but the Cavaliers placed more shots on goal (22-20) and forced more turnovers (23-20). Stephenson ended the day with a game-high four goals, while Walsh concluded the matchup with a hat trick. Walsh and Hittle added two assists each, and Jake Mrozienski tallied a pair of goals. Chance made 14 stops in net to secure his first win as a Cav.
 
Men's lacrosse now plays at Mars Hill University on Wednesday. Opening faceoff in Mars Hill, N.C. is slated for 7:00 p.m.