Hickory, N.C.-- On a cold, rainy Saturday morning, the Lenoir-Rhyne Men's Lacrosse team overcame a 6-0 deficit to defeat #8 Rollins 15-9 in the Bears's home opener. After Rollins' hot start the Bears scored 15 of the game's final 18 goals to get the key regional win.
Donovan Powell scored a career high six goals for the Bears while
Morgan Madish and
Sloan Steward added a hat trick for LR. The Bears will now prepare to host #9 Indianapolis next Saturday.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: #4 Lenoir-Rhyne 15, #8 Rollins 9
Records: Lenoir-Rhyne (3-0), Rollins (2-1)
Location: Hickory, N.C. | Moretz Stadium
STORY OF THE GAME
- Rollins came out firing, as three goals from Sam Mattson fueled a 6-0 start for the Tars.
- Joel Brusnahan and Sloan Steward got LR on the period as the duo closed the first quarter with back to back goals.
- After Rollins got the first goal in the second period, LR scored three straight, including a pair from Madish.
- Donovan Powell's goal with 2:06 left in the half cut the Tars lead to 8-6 at the break.
- After being shut out in the first quarter, LR returned the favor as the Bears did not allow Rollins to score in the third period.
- John Mink tied the game just a minute and a half into the third, and Evan Voss gave the Bears their first lead of the game at the 11:03 mark of the quarter.
- After Rollins cut the lead to 10-9 with their lone second half goal, the Bears responded with five goals to conclude the game.
- Powell scored three of the game's final four goals.
STATS OF THE GAME
- Donovan Powell had five of his six goals in the second half.
- Evan Voss had four assists and goal for the Bears.
- Matthew Mancini won 19 of 24 faceoffs and had 12 ground balls on the day.
- Nick Floyd came off the bench to earn his first win as a Bear, making four saves in the net.
- LR had at least ten shots in each quarter and 43 shots in the final three frames.
- Bears defense forced Rollins into fourteen turnovers.
BEYOND THE STATS
- Bears are 5-0 all-time against the Tars.
- This was Powell's fifth career game with at least three goals.
- Voss's four assists moves him to #3 all-time in program history.
- The Bears are currently ranked #4 in the USILA Poll, one spot behind Limestone and one above Wingate.
UP NEXT: The Bears will host #9 Indianapolis next Saturday for a 12:00 PM contest. The Greyhounds are 3-1 with their lone loss to #3 Limestone. These two teams have not seen each other since the Bears defeat Indianapolis 11-10 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament here in Hickory in 2022.