Jeff Knapp’s nine goals help the Skyhawks soar past the Cavaliers on the road
MONTREAT, N.C. (Apr. 8, 2023) - The Point University Men's Lacrosse team continued their road trip of action as the Skyhawks took on Montreat College in an Appalachian Athletic Conference matchup where Point defeated the Cavaliers 15-13.
Point came into the road matchup with a mindset to put the Cavaliers on their heels which got off to a good start with Freshman Shaun McLaughin scoring the first goal of the game for the Skyhawks, which gave Point the early lead. Montreat looked to find a way to retaliate to Point's quick goal, but the Skyhawks' defense remained solid. Jeff Knapp and Malyke Sillers added the following two goals for Point to give them a 3-0 lead with under five minutes remaining in the first period. The Cavaliers would not go out of the quarter scoreless as Brayden Hittle for Montreat tallied the first goal on their end. As the period entered the final 10 seconds, Malyke Sillers zoomed past the defense of Montreat to bring the Skyhawks' lead to 4-1.
The offensive dominance of the Skyhawks carried into the second quarter, with Jeff Knapp scoring his second goal. Montreat remained hungry to get even with the Skyhawks as the Cavaliers fired with a goal of their own to bring the score to 5-2. Shaun McLaughlin facilitated the next goal by assisting Jeff Knapp on Point's next shot to extend the lead by four. The Cavaliers started to pick up steam on the offensive side as Montreat scored the following two goals to bring their deficit to one with hopes of tying the game or taking the lead before the half. However, Knapp continued to stay in the moment as he scored his fourth goal of the game. Montreat ended the half by scoring one more goal to go into the break trailing 7-5.
The momentum shifted back to the Skyhawks at the start of the third quarter as Jeff Knapp scored the following two goals for Point to push their lead further from the Cavaliers. Montreat responded with their only goal of the quarter as the Skyhawks' unlocked a new level of defense for the remainder of the period. Lonnie Flores Jr. Joined the fun on offense by rallying past Montreat for Point's next score. Jeff Knapp's consistency continued to pressure the defense as he scored the following two goals for Point to end the quarter with a 12-6 lead.
The battle was far from over as the fourth quarter started with Point taking the first score from Aaron Mordarski to increase their lead by seven. Montreat quickly regrouped on offense by responding to the firepower from the Skyhawks. Point's offense kept them ahead as the Skyhawks only took 10 seconds to retaliate to the Cavaliers' goal as Jeff Knapp added his ninth goal. The Cavaliers took the next two offensive possessions in their favor as Grayson Scott stepped up with two goals, with Montreat now trailing by five with under four minutes left in the contest. The Skyhawks continued their spark of offense consistency as Shaun McLaughin skimmed through the defense of Montreat to move their lead to 15-9 at the 3:53 mark. With 35 seconds left in the game, the Cavaliers found their way back into the matchup as Montreat added the following two scores to trail by four. Montreat continued their late run by scoring their next goal in three seconds to trail 15-12. The test of finishing for Point's defense was displayed as Point only allowed one last goal to hold on for the 15-13 victory over the Cavaliers.
In the Box
Jeff Knapp led with nine scored goals off of 18 shots. Knapp's nine goals in a single game put him in the record book at 10th on the list for the most scored goals in a single game in school history. Malyke Sillers and Shaun McLaughlin added two goals each. Lonnie Flores Jr. And Aaron Mordarski contributed one goal each to the win. Kiereek Mcleod added nine saves in goal, and Cam Simmons finished with one save.
Up Next
The Skyhawks will return to action for their regular season game on Saturday, April 15, against Reinhardt University, starting at 2:00 P.M.