Lacrosse falls to Keiser in Conference Matchup 14-2

After traveling to Greensboro College for their first matchup of the 2023 season last week, the Knights took a roadtrip to West Palm Beach, FL to take on the Keiser Hawks in an AAC Conference matchup. Coming into the match, the Hawks were ranked 6th in the NAIA Men's Lacrosse Coaches Poll and proved to be a formidable opponent as they were able to take this one by a final score of 14-2.

Zachary Lombardi (Cary, NC) got the start in net for the Knights and although allowed 14 goals thorughout the contest, played some great goaltending by recording nine saves in the match.

The Knights and Falcons enjoyed a back and forth start where no team was able to find the net for the first seven minutes, as a physical midfield battle and back and forth possessions were traded by either side. At the 6:52 mark, Keiser's Jack Gillen was able to break the deadlock as his shot found the back of the net to give the Hawks a 1-0 lead.

Just 40 second later, the Knights were able to strike as Conan Hochburger's (Marietta, GA) shot whistled into the back of the net off of a great pass from Michael Vreeland (Las Vegas, NV), to give the Knights their first goal of the game.

After the Knights scored, the Hawks offense began to come to life as they were able to score the games next five goals, and take a 6-1 lead into the halfime break.

The third quarter showed why the Keiser Hawks have been regarded as one of the NAIA's premier lacrosse programs as they were able to go on for six straight unanswered goals to take a commanding 12-2 lead in the contest.

Conan Hochburger wasn't done however, and found the back of the net for the second time in the match, and gave the Knights their second goal of the day, off a beautiful entry pass from Garvey Presley (Greensboro, NC).

Although the score looks one way, the Knights were able to contend with the Hawks for most of the match as they were outshot 37-25, and fell just behind in ground balls at 16-15.

The Knights will look to rebound on February 22nd when they travel Fayetteville, NC for a non-conference game against Methodist College. The match is scheduled to begin at 6:00 PM.