Buena Vista, Va - The Southern Virginia men's lacrosse team got back on track with an impressive performance against the Brevard College Tornados, resulting in a resounding 22-2 victory. The Knights were looking to rebound after two losses during a spring break trip in Georgia, one of those being at the hands of conference rival, Piedmont.
Courtesy of an opening face-off win by Jayden Arnold, the Knights got off on the right foot when Zak Sullivan whistled a shot past the Brevard goalkeeper just 12 seconds into the contest. The opening tally would be a sign of things to come as the Tornados were barraged with 20 shots from the Knights in the first quarter. Five different players found the back of the net for Southern Virginia in route to a 6-0 lead through fifteen minutes.
Clay Haacke continued his tear by completing an early hat trick in the second quarter while his teammate, JT Cutrer, followed suit. Those two would spearhead a lethal Knights attack that saw them score 5 goals in a span of 2:24 to build a 16-1 lead before halftime. Face-offs were also a big story in the first half. The Southern Virginia duo of Jayden Arnold and Bosten Schilleman won a combined 17 face-offs compared to the Tornados 2. In total, Arnold was a near perfect 10-11 on the day while Schilleman went 14-17 in handling the duties for the majority of the second half.
After their assertive start, the Knights were in cruise control during the second half. Scoring in the third quarter was sparse, but Isaac Finley, a sophomore from Tucson, Arizona, took advantage of a Brevard turnover in the attacking zone and went coast-to-coast to find an open Ben Sluga who shot one clean past the goalie. The goal serves as a big milestone for Sluga who scored the first goal of his collegiate career. Daniel Goold started in between the pipes for the fourth quarter and backstopped the Knights the rest of the way as they would score four more goals to finish with 22 on the day, a season high.
The Knights led the way in almost every statistical category, particularly in shot attempts where they dominated 56-18. They managed to force Brevard into 12 turnovers, many of which turned into goals the other way. The Tornados did have the edge in extra man opportunities, courtesy of five Southern Virginia penalties. However, the Knights staved off all five attacks to leave them scoreless in that category.
Perhaps the most notable performance came from freshman Tyson Mauri. The attacker from Farmington, Utah, who has been a key fixture in the Knights' starting lineup, recorded 3 goals and 4 assists for a season high in both categories. Jace Lightfoot and Daniel Goold split time in goal, combining for 7 total saves.
The Knights remain undefeated against Brevard all time, all three victories having occurred since joining the USA South conference for the 2022 season. Looking ahead, the Knights face a quartet of conference opponents over the next three weeks. They'll look to string together their first winning streak of the season when they host Greensboro College on Tuesday, March 26th at 5:00 PM at Knights Stadium.
For the most up-to-date details and information on the team, follow @knight_mlax and visit knightathletics.com for live stats and streaming options.
