MARIETTA, Ga. — The Montreat College men's lacrosse team dropped an 18-8 final against the Life University Running Eagles, a program receiving votes in the NAIA Men's Lacrosse Coaches' Top 10 Poll, on Thursday night in Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) play. Following the road defeat, the Cavaliers moved to 3-5 (0-2 AAC) on the campaign, while LU improved to 2-2 (1-2 AAC).
 
Six initial scoreless minutes eventually gave way to six first-quarter goals between the two sides. The Running Eagles found the back of the net first at the 8:52 mark, but Garrett Thomson equalized for the Cavs two minutes later. Nickolas Hargett then set up Justin Holland for the go-ahead tally with 4:41 remaining in the frame. However, Life rattled off three straight strikes over a 91-second span to take a 4-2 advantage into the second period.
 
The hosts added a fifth consecutive goal merely 51 seconds into the second quarter, expanding their edge to 5-2. Holland delivered his second goal of the evening, this time off an assist from D'Andrae McKenzie, to pull the visitors back within two just five minutes into the frame. Holland answered another LU strike at the 7:15 mark, keeping Montreat within arm's length, 6-4, behind his early hat trick.
 
Life continued to apply pressure on the Cavaliers, and it once again broke through with the final three goals of the period. The Running Eagles scored twice in the final 10 seconds to enter halftime with a 9-4 lead.
 
Montreat found a spark early in the third quarter when Thomson scored a man-up goal, assisted by Landon LaGro, less than three minutes in. Despite that effort, LU controlled the momentum for much of the frame, building upon its advantage with five straight scores. David Wright's strike gave the Cavs their second goal of the period, but the home side's offensive surge put the visitors in a 14-6 hole by the time the fourth quarter rolled around.
 
Thomson opened the final frame with back-to-back tallies, the second of which was assisted by LaGro. The pair of goals pulled Montreat within 14-8 just 2:34 into the period. Despite Thomson's efforts, the Cavaliers proved unable to find the back of the net across the remainder of the contest. Meanwhile, the Running Eagles added four insurance goals, establishing their largest lead of the night in the process. At the end of 60 minutes, Life wrapped up its 18-8 AAC win.
 
The hosts controlled the statistical edge in several major categories, including shots (47-23), shots on goal (26-16), ground balls (39-21) and faceoffs (25-4). Montreat committed seven fewer turnovers than its counterpart (26-19), and it scored the game's only man-up goal.
 
Individually, Thomson registered a career-high four goals on five shot attempts. Holland added a hat trick while placing six of his nine tries on target. LaGro helped facilitate the attack with two assists. Gavin Mottram and McKenzie also contributed an assist, while Wright aided his squad with a goal on his only shot of the night. Defensively, Jay Chance made eight saves in net.
 
In its next game, the Montreat College men's lacrosse team concludes its AAC road trip with a matchup at Point University. Opening faceoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. in West Point, Ga.