BLACK MOUNTAIN, N.C.— The Montreat College men's lacrosse team faced off against the No. 2-ranked Keiser University Seahawks on Thursday night. The Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) matchup ended with the visitors claiming a 29-4 victory. As a result of the contest, the Cavaliers now hold a 3-7 (0-4 AAC) record, while Keiser boasts a 6-0 (5-0 AAC) record.
KU opened the game by taking control early, scoring just 46 seconds in before jumping out to a 6-0 lead. Montreat was able to respond later in the first quarter as D'Andrae McKenzie, assisted by Landon LaGro, got the home side on the board. Shortly after, Gavin Mottram added another goal at the 5:03 mark, again assisted by LaGro, to narrow the deficit slightly. However, the Seahawks continued their offensive push, closing the frame with a 9-2 lead.
The Cavaliers gained early possession in the second quarter with Carson Bowser winning the faceoff and securing the ground ball. Despite the possession, the Cavs struggled to capitalize on their opportunities, committing several turnovers throughout the period. The visitors took advantage of those miscues, scoring 10 times across the frame. The second quarter finished with Keiser holding a 19-2 edge.
Coming out of the halftime break, the Seahawks added two more goals to their tally early on. Montreat was able to find the back of the net twice in the third quarter. The first came from Ethan Seamans scoring, who scored an unassisted tally just 3:47 into the frame. Later in the third, Mottram scored, leveraging a man-up opportunity while being assisted by LaGro. Despite those efforts, Keiser maintained its advantage with another strong offensive showing, leading 24-4 heading into the final quarter of play.
In the fourth quarter, the Seahawks continued to capitalize on chances, extending their lead. The frame concluded with Montreat being unable to add to its total, and KU ended the game holding a 29-4 advantage.
The Cavs held the edge in saves over the visitors (19-8) and scored the only extra-man goal of the night. Keiser had more shots (65-21), shots on goal (48-12), ground balls (60-33), faceoffs (27-10) and successful clears (14-10).
Mottram paced the hosts with two goals on five shots, including a man-up strike. LaGro contributed to the offense with a trio of assists and six ground balls, enhancing the team's scoring opportunities. Seamans found the back of the net once, adding to Montreat's tally with his lone shot on goal. In the faceoff circle, Bowser secured nine victories, helping to maintain possession for the team. Shaquon Sullivan picked up three ground balls. Jay Chance made 10 saves across 30 minutes in net, while Justin Holland and Joshua Kalec notched eight and one, respectively.
In their next game, Montreat will host Webber International University (Fla.) at Pulliam Stadium in Black Mountain, North Carolina. The matchup is set for Saturday, March 28 at 1 p.m.
