ROME, Ga.— The Montreat College men's lacrosse team hit the road for the first time in 2026 on Saturday, traveling to Rome, Ga. for a nonconference matchup against the Shorter University Hawks, an NCAA Division II program. Behind a dominant, one-sided effort, the Cavaliers soared past the hosts en route to a 24-2 triumph. With their first win since March 2, 2024, as well as their most goals scored in a game since Feb. 27, 2021, the Cavs' record climbed to 1-1 on the year. SU's record slid to 0-3.
 
Asserting control from the start, the visitors secured the opening faceoff and quickly converted it into a goal from Grayson Scott and an assist from Landon LaGro. Montreat continued to dominate possession and scoring, with additional goals from Gavin Mottram, LaGro and Justin Holland, who were all instrumental in establishing a commanding lead.
 
Defensively, the Cavaliers stifled Shorter for 15 minutes, causing multiple turnovers to help maintain the shutout early on. The first quarter eventually concluded with the away side leading decisively, 11-0.
 
Montreat opened the second quarter with firm control, once again winning the faceoff and quickly capitalizing with another Holland goal, the Cavs' 12th straight to begin the contest. The Cavaliers continued to dominate possession, consistently challenging the Hawks' defense, although several additional attempts were thwarted by Shorter's goalkeeper.
 
Midway through the period, the Hawks finally got on the scoreboard. However, that was all SU could muster against a stout Montreat defense. After 30 minutes of game action, the visitors from North Carolina possessed a comfortable 12-1 lead.
 
Like the first quarter, the Cavs absolutely dominated the third quarter with a lopsided performance, beginning with LaGro's strike 2:46 into the frame. Mottram followed with two goals, one at 10:43 and another at 4:04, contributing to Montreat's commanding lead. Additional tallies from Yasiel Sihombing, Ethan Seamans, Holland, Garrett Thomson (man-down), David Wright and Neven Gordic further solidified the Cavaliers' advantage. A 9-0 third quarter ballooned Montreat's lead to 21-1 by the time the fourth rolled around.
 
A faceoff win to commence the final period proved to be the catalyst for D'Andrae McKenzie's strike 65 seconds into the frame. Shorter found a brief respite from the Cavs' pressure via a man-down goal, but Montreat quickly regained control with Holland's career-high fifth tally midway through the quarter.
 
In the final minutes, the Cavaliers continued to pressure Shorter, with Nickolas Hargett scoring a man-down goal with 2:10 remaining. From there, Jay Chance made one final save to seal his first win of the campaign and the Cavs' initial win of the year, 24-2.
 
"While it's only one game, it's a big one for us," said head coach Brian Holland. "Today was a great team win that will now set the tone for the rest of the season."
 
Completely dominant in all facets, Montreat racked up more shots (64-5), shots on goal (45-5), ground balls (57-20), faceoff wins (22-7) and caused turnovers (6-2) than its counterpart. The Hawks made 21 saves on the day, while Chance stopped three shots for a .600 save percentage.
 
Holland led the Cavaliers' offense with a career-high five goals on 13 shots, as well as two assists. Mottram, Thomson and LaGro contributed significantly with three goals and one assist each. Scott also tallied a hat trick in the triumph. Wright dominated faceoffs, winning 15-of-19 to control possession.
 
Up next, the Montreat College men's lacrosse team heads to St. Louis on Friday and Saturday for nonconference action against Missouri Baptist University and Midland University.