Misenheimer, NC - In a matchup between two tenacious squads looking to clinch a berth in the USA South Tournament Final, the Southern Virginia men's lacrosse team came up short in a rematch with the Piedmont University Lions, falling by a score of 18-13. 

The Knights came out firing in the first 10 minutes thanks to goals from Clay Haacke, Tyson Mauri, and Gabe King. Mauri, who has stood out as a playmaker during his freshman campaign, has looked more than comfortable in his first postseason appearance and scored two of the Knights' first four goals as the score was knotted up at 4 heading into the second quarter. The second felt much the same with Piedmont having a slight 8-7 edge leading into the halftime break. The Knights led the Lions in shots, 31-22 at the half and were responsible with the ball, committing five less turnovers than their opponent. 

The second half started off promising after a faceoff win from Jaydon Arnold and an early strike by Porter Wells, but the Lions tightened things up defensively and would go on a 5-0 scoring run before the end of the quarter and took a 13-8 lead into the final frame. Unfortunately for the Knights, the lackluster third quarter on offense proved to be a difference maker. Michael Brown managed to give the Knights a lift midway through the fourth quarter and ignited their attack for a flurry of goals in the final seven minutes. Southern Virginia outscored the Lions 5-2 the rest of the way but weren't able to bridge the gap before the final buzzer.

Piedmont goalkeeper Johnny Matrona had a spectacular day in net for the Lions, stopping 20 shots with a sparkling save percentage of .606. For the Knights, Michael Brown had a tremendous day defensively by picking up 8 ground balls and forcing 7 turnovers. While it's the first year the Knights have not advanced to the tournament final since joining the USA South in 2022, they gave the #2 seeded Lions all they could handle and have now won 6 tournament games in three years. The Knights will enter the offseason motivated to make a return to the tournament final that they've become closely affiliated with since their arrival in the USA South. They'll be in pursuit of their fourth conference championship in four years.

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.