HARDEEVILLE, S.C.— The Montreat men's lacrosse team wrapped up its 2025 Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) slate Saturday afternoon with a road clash versus the SCAD Savannah Bees, a squad receiving votes in the latest edition of the NAIA Men's Lacrosse Coaches' Top 10 Poll. Despite a strong third quarter, the Cavaliers came up just short, moving to 0-13 (0-8 AAC) on the year following an 11-8 defeat.
 
SCAD Savannah (5-9, 3-5 AAC) scored less than 10 seconds into the contest, and it doubled its lead after just 2:17 of play; however, the Cavs notched two of the final three goals in the first quarter, trimming their deficit to merely one. Garrett Thomson set up Conrad Stelzel's tally, while Gavin Mottram did the same for Landon LaGro.
 
The hosts created some breathing room with the initial four scores of the second frame. D'Andrae McKenzie and Eli King registered unassisted strikes during the period, but the Bees ultimately expanded their advantage to 8-4 prior to halftime.
 
Montreat made its move during the third quarter, and it nearly resulted in a tie game. The Cavaliers proved responsible for all three goals in the frame, and they entered the fourth period within 8-7. McKenzie capped off his hat trick with two tallies, and King snagged his second goal of the day. Jay Chance stopped three shots across the 15-minute span.
 
Despite surrendering four consecutive tallies, SCAD Savannah stood its ground. The Bees grabbed the first goal of the fourth quarter. Thomson pulled the visitors back within one with 6:50 remaining in regulation, but the hosts answered twice more over the ensuing 2:18. The last four-and-a-half minutes proved to be goalless, and Montreat dropped an 11-8 final score.
 
SCAD Savannah attempted more shots than their counterpart (45-42), but the Cavs placed more attempts on goal (28-23). Both teams racked up 16 successful clears. The visitors owned the slight edge in the faceoff circle (12-11), but the Bees picked up more ground balls (30-25) and committed fewer turnovers (22-18). The hosts also accumulated 20 saves, while Chance made 12 saves in net for the Cavaliers.
 
McKenzie and Thomson led the away side with three-point performances. All three of McKenzie's points came via goals, while Thomson accrued a goal and two assists. Mottram paced the squad with six ground balls. Carlos Montoya won 57.1 percent of his faceoffs (12-21). Five different Cavs garnered a caused turnover.
 
Montreat concludes its season next Friday at Young Harris College. Opening faceoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Young Harris, Ga.