BUENA VISTA, Va. - The Southern Virginia University men's lacrosse team squared off with the three-time defending conference champion, Pfeiffer, on Friday evening.

After an early deficit, the Knights played even with the Falcons for much of the game, but ultimately fell victim to their sluggish start in a 16-12 loss.

Pfeiffer scored on their first three possessions to put Southern Virginia on their heels, eventually going up 9-3 by the end of the first quarter. 

However, the Knights showed resilience the rest of the way. Myles Nielson scored their third goal on the man-advantage to open the second quarter on a good note. After outscoring the Falcons in the quarter, Clay Haacke wired one home for his first goal of the game to open the scoring in the third quarter as well, cutting the deficit to 11-7.

Jace Lightfoot seemed to get better in between the pipes as the game wore on for the Knights, holding Pfeiffer's high-powered offense to just five goals in the second half.

Alfredo Hurtado brought a physical presence to the defense and Britton Tidwell had a team high  five caused turnovers.

Nielson led the attack with a four point outing, potting two goals and assisting on two others. Despite a strong fourth quarter from the Knights, the Falcons managed to hang on and collect a 16-12 victory.

It's the first loss in league play for Southern Virginia, who got 17 saves from Jace Lightfoot, a season high.

Looking Ahead 

As spring break begins, the team will travel west to Salt Lake City where they'll face an NCAA Division ll member, Westminster, on Wednesday, March 18th at 7:00 PM. It'll be the first-ever meeting between the two programs.

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