BLACK MOUNTAIN, N.C.— The Montreat College men's lacrosse team hosted the Pfeiffer University Falcons, an NCAA Division III program, on Tuesday for the squad's 2026 regular season and home opener. While the hosts outscored their opposition in the final quarter, the visitors still claimed a 27-7 victory at Pulliam Stadium. With the result, the Cavaliers began the year 0-1, while Pfeiffer improved to 2-0 on the young season.
 
Nik Treadway won the game's first faceoff, and Shaquon Sullivan secured the ground ball. Despite initial control, the Cavs faced a challenging defensive effort from the Falcons, resulting in several turnovers. Pfeiffer capitalized on those opportunities, including scoring the first goal while down a man 2:23 into the quarter.
 
The visitors extended their lead with a series of goals, two of which occurred just nine seconds apart, as they continued to apply pressure on Montreat's defense. The Cavaliers managed to break through with a goal from Justin Holland, which was assisted by Garrett Thomson, at the 2:49 mark, slightly narrowing the gap.
 
A pair of goals in the closing seconds enabled PU to maintain momentum as the quarter came to a close. Through 15 minutes of play in Black Mountain, N.C., the Falcons possessed an 8-1 edge over Montreat.
 
Pfeiffer remained the aggressor as the second quarter began, capitalizing on chances around the net as early as 3:13 into the period. The Cavs struggled to regain control, despite a successful clear and a shot attempt by Yasiel Sihombing that was saved. The Falcons continued their offensive push, extending their lead to 11-1 by the midpoint of the frame.
 
Montreat found itself coming up just short on a few scoring opportunities, with shots by Landon LaGro and D'Andrae McKenzie hitting the post. Unphased by the hosts nearly finding the back of the net, the Falcons quickly got back to peppering the goal with attempts. Several additional tallies, including one with a second left, brought the Pfeiffer lead to 15-1 heading into the intermission.
 
The Cavaliers started the third quarter with an immediate impact as McKenzie scored his first goal of the year just 14 seconds in. That strike was followed by a successful man-up opportunity when Gavin Mottram, assisted by McKenzie, found the net to add another goal for the home side, bringing the score to 15-3. However, Pfeiffer quickly reestablished control of the game, scoring multiple times in succession.
 
PU's offense was relentless, and despite goalkeeper Jay Chance making four saves in the quarter, the visitors continued their scoring run. Nine unanswered Pfeiffer strikes catapulted the visitors to a 24-3 advantage with 15 minutes to go.
 
The Cavs faced a challenging start in the fourth quarter as the Falcons cashed in a man-up opportunity to extend their lead. Despite the early setback, Montreat responded effectively with Thomson delivering a man-up goal of his own.
 
Continuing to take advantage of Pfeiffer penalties, both McKenzie and Holland snuck shots past the keeper for man-up tallies. The Cavs' offensive persistence continued to pay dividends as Thomson tacked on an unassisted goal in the final 10 seconds. However, despite finding their offensive rhythm down the stretch, the hosts still finished the day on the wrong side of a 27-7 final score.
 
Over 60 minutes of action, Pfeiffer built noticeable edges in shots (65-40), shots on goal (45-23), successful clears (32-22), ground balls (57-38) and faceoff wins (23-13). The Cavaliers registered two more saves than their counterpart (18-16), as well as one more man-up goal (4-3).
 
Thomson led the offensive effort for Montreat with two goals and a pair of assists. The Minneola, Fla. native also placed all four of his shot attempts on target. McKenzie and Holland scored twice as well, while Mottram found the back of the net once. Chance stopped 18 shots in goal for a .400 save percentage.
 
The Montreat College men's lacrosse team hits the road for the first time this season on Saturday, Feb. 14 for a matchup with NCAA Division II program Shorter University. Opening faceoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. in Rome, Ga.