Men’s Lacrosse unable to rally against the Patriots
WEST POINT, Ga. (Mar. 18, 2023) - The Point University Men's Lacrosse team returned to the field for a home Appalachian Athletic Conference matchup against The University of Cumberlands, where the Patriots defeated the Skyhawks at the River Bowl Stadium.
The Patriots started the first period by displaying dominance on the offensive side, as Cumberlands did not waste time getting their first goal at the 12:17 mark. Cumberlands followed with two more scores that were 12 seconds apart from each other to take the early 3-0 lead. Point's defense continued to try to ice the Patriots by forcing turnovers and creating stops. Still, the chemistry of Cumberlands proved to overpower Point as the Patriots went on a 6-0 run to end the first period with a 10-0 lead.
Cumberlands came into the second period with the same mindset of starting fast and getting each player involved as they added two more scores to their lead. Point ended Cumberlands' hopes of a shutout as Shaun McLaughlin put the Skyhawks on the scoreboard for their first score of the game. Point continued to show fight on the offensive side as Jeff Knapp added the second goal for the Skyhawks. The Patriots did add three more scores to lead 15-2 at the half.
The third period was full of action and physicality as the Patriots powered their way through the defense of Point to score their first goal of the quarter. Shaun McLaughlin proved not to be done on the evening for the Skyhawks as he added his second goal to give Point another score. Cumberlands retaliated with two more goals, hoping to end the offensive fight from Point. Shaun McLaughlin and Jeff Knapp finished the period by scoring the final two goals for Point.
The Fourth quarter proved to be a quick start for the Skyhawks as Jeff Knapp dove through the defense for a magnificent goal against the vigorous defense of Cumberlands. However, the Patriots proved not to be done as they looked to move their score up further by adding the following two goals. Point's defense locked in to not allow another goal from Cumberlands, and Shaun McLaughin assisted Malyke Siller on the game's final goal.
In the box
Shaun McLaughlin led with three goals off nine shots. Jeff Knapp added three goals off of 10 shots. Wesley Jones and Cam Simmons led the team with ground balls on the evening. In goal, Kiereek Mcleod added 18 saves.
Up Next
The Skyhawks will gear up to travel to the sunshine state of Florida as they take on Keiser University on Wednesday, March 22nd, starting at 6:00 P.M.
