Buena Vista, VA - Once several inches of snow was shoveled off the turf at Knight Stadium, another group of talented, fresh faces finally hit the field for a new season of Southern Virginia University men's lacrosse. Head Coach Jason Lamb's squad featured several key pieces to a team that has become a perennial contender in the USA South.

The Knights have fared well in league competition over the previous three seasons, compiling an impressive record of 22-3. A notable offseason addition was also made to the coaching staff as former all-conference goalkeeper, Caleb Brodie, returned to his alma mater to become the program's newest assistant coach.

The team returned a couple of first team all-conference players in Clay Haacke and JT Cutrer, mixed with a healthy dose of up-and-coming talent. Since joining the USA South prior to the 2022 season, the Knights have won one tournament title, a regular season title, and have made it as far as the conference semifinal each season.

Regular Season

Southern Virginia opened its season by hosting a pair of out-of-state teams to open its non-conference slate. They defeated SCAD-Savannah on opening day, 16-13, as Peyton Merwin tallied an opening day hat trick to fuel the offense. Freshman Garrett Zollinger was impressive in his collegiate debut, registering the final two goals to propel the Knights to an important first win.

The next weekend, they overwhelmed Tennessee Wesleyan, 17-5, for the program's first 2-0 start since 2019. Tyson Mauri, a sophomore attack added four goals and three assists to total 15 points over the first two games, signaling a breakout season for the Farmington, Utah native.

No stranger to a challenging schedule, the team played its next three games away from Knight Stadium, including a matchup with Stockton at the US Lacrosse Headquarters in Maryland. Eventually, they returned home to face SUNY Delhi and were propelled to a 10-7 win by Jace Lightfoot's 12 saves in goal. The win marked the Knights' first 3-0 start at home since 2022, and improved their overall record to 3-3.

After losing their opening USA South game to the reigning league champion Falcons from Pfeiffer, the Knights rattled off wins in five of their next six games. Freshmen Abe Salmon, JC Winterton, and Pierce Brinton were instrumental in the team's surge, contributing 74 goals over the course of the season.

While the conference schedule was in full swing, the two former first team all-conference performers, JT Cutrer and Clay Haacke, were finding their best form of the season at the right time. Haacke put together a run of 20 goals in five games, and Cutrer was amongst the league leaders in caused turnovers.

Riddled by injuries for much of the second half of the season, the Knights still managed to win five games against USA South competitors, good enough to secure the fourth seed in the conference tournament and home field advantage for the first round.

Before the postseason began, several Knights were featured on the USA South's all-conference teams. In addition to his second straight first team nod, JT Cutrer became the first player in team history to be voted Defensive Player of the Year. Clay Haacke and Tyson Mauri joined him on the First Team All-Conference.

Postseason

For the third time in four seasons, Southern Virginia faced off with Greensboro in the first round of the USA South tournament. The Knights came out victorious in the last two meetings and looked to make a fourth straight appearance in the tournament semifinal.

In the first quarter, defense became the story as Southern Virginia opened a 5-1 lead. Abe Salmon and JC Winterton were off to flying starts, each netting a pair in the opening frame. The onslaught continued into the second, as the Knights' defenders, led by Tyler Mauri's four caused turnovers, swarmed the Pride to the tune of 11 giveaways.

Greensboro pushed back with four straight goals, but the Knights managed to weather the storm and nearly extended the lead to double-digits. Tyson Mauri recorded another sensational performance on the attack, leading the team with 11 points. Mauri also put himself in elite company during the win, becoming just the fourth player in program history to record at least 90 points in a season. His 59 assists were 20 more than his closest competitor in the USA South.

Ultimately, the Knights came out on top 22-13 to advance to the USA South semifinal, their fourth straight season with at least one tournament win. Despite the momentum of an opening round triumph, the season would come to an end at the hands of the eventual champion, Pfeiffer, during the semifinal. It's the third time the teams have met in the postseason, and the second time the Falcons have come out victorious since the Knights defeated them for the USA South title three seasons ago.

Even with the loss, the team achieved several milestones during the season. Tyson Mauri had a historic offensive season, establishing himself as one of the premier offensive weapons in the region, while JT Cutrer made history with his end of season accolades. The team won at least 9 games for the third time in four seasons and posted a 6-3 record on home turf.

The upperclassmen led the way, mentoring a strong class of freshmen who should give the Knights a potent roster in the coming seasons. The squad graduates just three seniors, Peyton Merwin, JT Cutrer, and Jex Mecham, each of whom left a lasting mark on the program and were part of the first conference championship team in program history.

Southern Virginia will look toward a much needed mental break in the offseason before returning to the field in its quest for a second USA South title. In a conference that has gotten more competitive each season, the Knights' young guns from this season will be relied on heavily sooner rather than later.

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