BLACK MOUNTAIN, N.C.— The Montreat men's lacrosse team began its 2024 campaign by hosting the Brevard College Tornados at Pulliam Stadium Thursday evening. Thanks to a quick start, the Cavaliers outlasted the Tornados by a score of 12-8 to move to 1-0 on the young season.
 
A starting goalie from last year, Jay Chance got off to a hot start as an attackman. Chance broke the ice with 5:46 remaining in the initial frame. The sophomore then went on to register a first-period hat trick, tallying a pair of goals within 36 seconds late in the frame to give the Cavs a 3-0 advantage. Montreat ultimately ended the first quarter of its season with a 4-0 lead thanks to Grayson Scott, who beat the buzzer.
 
Brevard (0-1) got on the scoresheet at the start of the second; however, a goal from Eli King handed the Cavaliers a 5-1 edge. Though the home side outshot BC 15-5 in the frame, each squad scored one goal as the Cavs led by four at the break.
 
King expanded the Montreat advantage by netting his second of the contest 3:41 into the latter half. After another Brevard score, two goals in 12 seconds from Connor Walsh established an 8-2 lead for the Cavaliers. King then completed his hat trick as the Cavs went into the final quarter up 9-3.
 
Walsh followed suit early in the fourth before Johnny Miles netted his first goal of the year to give Montreat its largest edge at eight (11-3) with 13:40 left. Though the Tornados notched five of the last six goals, the Cavaliers held on for their 4-goal triumph. Josh Espinosa stopped seven of Brevard's shots while playing in his first collegiate game in goal for the Cavs.
 
"This was a good first game. Our defense picked us up early and we started playing better offensively in the second half. I think overall the guys played great. It was good to get on the board and now we just have to look forward to our next game on Saturday and get back to work tomorrow," mentioned head coach Brian Holland, who collected his first collegiate coaching victory on the night.
 
In the end, the Cavs outshot their counterparts 49-28, including 25-15 on target. Montreat also held a distinct advantage in the faceoff circle, winning 16 of the 20 draws, and in ground balls (44-26). The Cavaliers successfully cleared 12 of their 15 opportunities and scored four extra-man goals in the win.
 
Men's lacrosse now travels to Greensboro College for a matchup with the Pride on Saturday. Opening faceoff is expected at 1 p.m.