Misenheimer, NC - On Thursday afternoon, the Southern Virginia University men's lacrosse team matched up with the top seed in the USA South Tournament, Pfeiffer. Unfortunately for the Knights, they weren't able to overcome a slow start and were eliminated from the postseason in a 20-4 defeat.

The Falcons were in a groove from the opening faceoff, scoring on their first shot on goal after several shot attempts went wide. Southern Virginia won the first couple of faceoffs with Porter Alleman, but Pfeiffer's defense forced several turnovers to help them dominate possession.

The Knights were in a 6-0 deficit after the first and found themselves scoreless at the end of the first half. Just over five minutes into the third, Abe Salmon was able to find the back of the net after a pass from Tyson Mauri for the Knights first goal. Not long after, Salmon scored again after collecting a ground ball off a rebound, giving Southern Virginia two unanswered goals.

After a challenging opening half, Jace Lightfoot stopped all shots he faced in the third quarter to cool off the Falcons high-flying attack. In the final frame, JC Winterton added another goal before Salmon ended the day by scoring with 13 seconds remaining, completing a late hat trick. At the final buzzer, the Knights season ended with a semifinal exit in the USA South Tournament.

Kanyun Avner and JT Cutrer each caused two turnovers to lead the defense and Jace Lightfoot made 12 saves in goal. On the attack, Salmon's three goals led the way and Tyson Mauri added three assists.

Since joining the USA South for the 2022 season, the Knights have made it to the semifinal each year and have won one tournament championship. While the team will miss a couple of key seniors to graduation, a promising young core will have them looking for a return to the final next season.

For the most up-to-date information and details on the team, visit knightathletics.com and follow @knight_mlax on Instagram.