MISENHEIMER, N.C. — Southern Virginia University men's lacrosse team lost a closely contested battle against Pfeiffer University in the USA South Conference Championship with a final score of 9-12.

The game's first period was an exciting display of offense from both teams. Southern Virginia's Connor Haacke opened the score with an unassisted goal. Clay Haacke, assisted by Eric Norr, quickly followed suit and put SVU-M up by two. Pfeiffer's Zach DeFazio responded with a goal assisted by J.P. Galloway, but Peyton Merwin kept the Knights' lead with an unassisted goal. DeFazio scored again for Pfeiffer, assisted by Tyler Finley, closing the first period with a score of 3-2 in favor of Southern Virginia.

The second period continued to be a back-and-forth battle, with J.P. Galloway scoring an unassisted goal for Pfeiffer, tying the score at 3-3. Clay Haacke, assisted by Gabe King, quickly regained the lead for the Knights, but Jared Butler responded for Pfeiffer with an unassisted goal at the 2:27 mark. The period ended with a clutch goal by Clay Haacke, assisted by Zak Sullivan, with under one second remaining in the half, giving Southern Virginia a 5-4 lead heading into the intermission.

Pfeiffer turned up the heat in the third period and scored four unanswered goals. Quinn Becraft started the streak with an unassisted goal, followed by a man-up goal by DeFazio, assisted by Joey Ondrako. Becraft and DeFazio continued to dominate the field, each scoring another goal, with Galloway and Ondrako providing the assists. The period ended with Pfeiffer leading 9-5.

Southern Virginia refused to back down and started the fourth period with back-to-back goals by Gabe King, the first unassisted and the second assisted by Zak Sullivan, bringing the score to 7-9. Mason Tardiff scored for Pfeiffer, but Jon Yandow responded with an unassisted goal for Southern Virginia. J.P. Galloway scored for Pfeiffer, assisted by Nu Kwan Fair, and Peyton Merwin, assisted by Zak Sullivan, scored again for Southern Virginia. The game ended with a last-second goal by Treven King for Pfeiffer, with a final score of 9-12.

Despite the loss, Southern Virginia put up an impressive performance, with several players making noteworthy contributions to the team's efforts. Clay Haacke led the team with a hat-trick, while Gabe King and Peyton Merwin contributed two goals, and Zak Sullivan had three assists. On the other hand, Pfeiffer's Zach DeFazio, J.P. Galloway, and Quinn Becraft played key roles in securing their team's victory.

For the most up-to-date details on the team, follow @knight_mlax on Instagram and visit knightathletics.com for live stats and streaming options.