BEVERLY HILLS, Mich.— The Montreat men's lacrosse team wrapped up its season-opening weekend in Beverly Hills, Mich. on Saturday with a nonconference clash against the University of Michigan-Dearborn Wolverines, a team receiving votes in the NAIA Men's Lacrosse Coaches' Top 10 Poll. While the contest was tight during the initial 30 minutes, the hosts pulled away in the second half en route to a 12-9 win over the visitors. With the defeat, the Cavaliers dropped to 0-2 on the young season.
UM-Dearborn (1-0) got the scoring started less than two minutes into the initial quarter, but
Eli King swiftly erased the Wolverines' lead with his third goal of the year.
Landon LaGro notched his first collegiate assist to help even the score at 1-1.
The hosts registered back-to-back tallies over the ensuing six minutes, but
Grayson Scott brought Montreat back within one at 3-2 late in the period. Unfortunately for the Cavs, UM-Dearborn had a response with 29 seconds left to enter the second quarter ahead by two (4-2).
Garrett Thomson and
Christian Davis recorded the first goals of their Montreat careers, and
Justin Holland bagged the third of his season during a three-goal stretch in which the Cavaliers claimed their first lead of the year. Up 5-4 less than five minutes into the frame, the visitors held the momentum; however, the Wolverines didn't panic, and they managed to muster three consecutive strikes of their own. As a result, UM-Dearborn owned a 7-5 advantage at halftime.
Defensively, the home side set the tone during the third quarter. The Wolverines held the Cavs scoreless in the period, marking the first such instance for the Montreat offense this year. UM-Dearborn scored all three goals in the frame, doubling up the visitors via a 10-5 scoreline with just 15 minutes to play.
The Wolverines' lead grew to 12-5 with consecutive goals to begin the fourth, but the Cavaliers proved responsible for the rest of the scoring. Scott and Holland secured their second tallies of the night, while LaGro and
Gavin Mottram found the back of the net for the first time in Montreat jerseys. Despite the late offensive surge, the Cavs ran out of time. When the final horn sounded, UM-Dearborn seized a 12-9 victory.
"Tough one tonight," said head coach
Brian Holland. "We had our chances but just couldn't get shots to fall consistently. We played hard and improved. Being so young, every day is a learning experience for our guys. The process of building a sustainable program starts with the foundation, and that is what these games are providing."
UM-Dearborn attempted two more shots than Montreat (42-40), but the visitors placed two more of those tries on goal (23-21). The Wolverines maintained the edge in fewer turnovers (12-7), caused turnovers (6-3), saves (14-9), successful clears (21-15), ground balls (29-21) and faceoffs won (13-11). The Cavs owned the advantage in extra man goals (2-1).
Carlos Montoya paced the squad with eight ground balls, and he went 11-for-22 inside the faceoff circle. Holland and Scott scored twice, while LaGro totaled a goal and an assist.
Montreat welcomes the No. 6-ranked Indiana Institute of Technology Warriors to Pulliam Stadium next Saturday for the Cavaliers' home opener. Faceoff is slated for 1 p.m. in Black Mountain, N.C.
