BLACK MOUNTAIN, N.C.— The Montreat men's lacrosse team honored its seniors and hosted the (RV) Tennessee Wesleyan University Bulldogs Saturday afternoon in the squad's 2025 home finale. While the Cavaliers got off to a great start, they couldn't maintain their momentum as they ultimately suffered a 16-12 defeat. With the loss, the Cavs moved to 0-12 (0-7 AAC) on the year.
 
Tennessee Wesleyan (4-8, 1-5 AAC) broke the scoreless deadlock nearly seven minutes into the matchup, but the hosts notched five of the final six tallies in the opening quarter. Landon LaGro got the Cavs on the board before assisting Eli King for the squad's second strike. King added another goal before Grayson Scott scored twice in the final 30 seconds. After one period of action, Montreat maintained a 5-2 advantage.
 
The Bulldogs struck first in the second frame; however, another Cavalier flurry had the home side in the driver's seat. D'Andrae McKenzie restored Montreat's three-goal lead at 6-3 before Scott and King capped off their hat tricks, putting the hosts on top 8-3 in the process. TWU managed to steal a sliver of momentum just before the half, but the Cavs still entered the intermission in front, 8-4.
 
A one-sided third quarter flipped the contest in Tennessee Wesleyan's favor. The visitors recorded seven of the eight goals in the period, five of which came during a 2:36 stretch that allowed TWU to move ahead of its counterpart, 9-8. Scott tacked on his fourth goal of the afternoon, but Montreat suddenly found itself on the wrong side of an 11-9 scoreline.
 
Continuing their surge, the Bulldogs poured in five additional strikes to cap off their four-goal triumph. LaGro, McKenzie and King deposited shots into the back of the net across the final 15 minutes, but Tennessee Wesleyan had already seized control. At the end of 60 minutes, TWU walked away with a 16-12 victory.
 
The visitors capitalized on a 23-7 faceoff edge to help secure their win. Tennessee Wesleyan also owned the advantage in shots (43-34), shots on goal (28-19) and ground balls (41-35). Montreat committed four fewer turnovers than TWU (27-23).
 
Scott led the squad with five points thanks to his four-goal, one-assist performance. King also registered four goals on senior day. Gavin Mottram paced his teammates with six ground balls, while Aidan Simpson did the same with three caused turnovers. Jay Chance made 12 saves and bagged four ground balls in the defeat.
 
Montreat concludes its AAC slate next Saturday at (RV) SCAD Savannah. Opening faceoff is set for 1 p.m. in Savannah, Ga.