Buena Vista, VA - Despite a thirty minute rain delay, the Southern Virginia men's lacrosse team took care of business in the first round of the USA South Tournament, defeating Greensboro College by a score of 18-11.
Southern Virginia managed to get off to a quick start, netting the game's first two goals in less than thirty seconds. However, Greensboro was quick to fire back and went toe-to-toe with the Knights through fifteen minutes, tying the game on two separate occasions and trailing just 6-4 entering the second quarter. In the second, the Knights were able to find their groove and would extend their lead to 12-7 by halftime. A key to extending that lead was the Knights' penalty kill, the Pride managed to score once while a man up but Southern Virginia staved off three other opportunities to keep control of the game.
Things became interesting in the second half. Greensboro managed to win two consecutive faceoffs to start the third quarter, both resulting in goals for the Pride as the lead quickly dissipated to just three. Unfortunately for the Pride, and some could say fortunately for Southern Virginia, a lightning delay brought play to a halt with 13:08 remaining in the third quarter. The time spent in the locker room gave the Knights time to reset as they came out of the delay dialed in on both sides of the ball. Greensboro was unable to recapture the momentum they had earned at the beginning of the third and would only score two more goals the rest of the way. Southern Virginia also scored with the man advantage to make them a perfect 4/4 on the evening, a category they led the conference in during the regular season.
The fourth quarter turned into a stalemate for just under fifteen minutes. Jace Lightfoot went save for save with Greensboro goalkeeper Eddie Rowley, finishing the day with 13 saves and was essential in preserving his team's lead. Porter Wells tallied the final goal with under thirty seconds remaining to put the finishing touches on another tournament victory. Gabe King was superb and looked to be as dominant as he was at the beginning of the season, scoring 7 goals in his return to form. Michael Brown picked up 6 ground balls and caused 4 turnovers to lead a defense that only allowed four goals in the second half.
The Knights move on to the semifinal round for a third consecutive season and have a date with the second seeded Piedmont University Lions. The Lions dominated in their only matchup with the Knights during the regular season, so a bounce back will need to be in order for Southern Virginia. The matchup will take place on Thursday, May 2nd at 7:00PM in Misenheimer, North Carolina. Pfeiffer University will host the semifinal and championship matches.
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.
