DANVILLE, Ky. - The University of the South men's lacrosse team won its fifth Southern Athletic Association (SAA) Tournament Championship on Sunday with a 10-9 victory over Rhodes College, Sunday from the South Campus Field on the campus of Centre College.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final Score: (3) Sewanee (8-8) 10, (4) Rhodes (5-13) 9
Sewanee Athletics Social Media | Twitter/Instagram: @SewaneeTigers
Men's Lacrosse Social Media | Twitter/Instagram: @SewaneeTigerLax
HOW IT HAPPENED
-The teams would trade goals back-and-forth for the first half.
Jack Westfall gave Sewanee the 4-3 lead with 8:49 left, but a Lynx goal in the final seconds evened the contest at four goals apiece.
-Sewanee got the offense going early and often in the third stanza.
Will Wyckoff helped Sewanee reclaim the lead, 5-4, with 12:20 left in the period. After a
Greg Ix save,
Ryan Hofstetter netted an unassisted goal to make it 6-4.
-The Tigers would win the ensuing face off thanks to
Charlie Warren and Alec Jazari picking up the loose ball. Wyckoff came up later and scored again with 9:37 left in the quarter.
-After a Rhodes goal that made the game 7-4 in favor of the Tigers, Wyckoff and
Davis Gillenwater pushed the lead to 9-5 after three quarters of play.
-It was a different story early in the fourth quarter, as the Lynx netted three straight to make ti a one-goal game, 9-8, with less than nine minutes remaining in regulation.
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Luke Valentine gave Sewanee some insurance with his unassisted goal with 6:28 left, but Rhodes would respond with a goal at the 4:34 mark to make it a 10-9 score.
-The Lynx had three chances to even the game late, but a costly turnover by Rhodes in the final seconds lifted Sewanee to the SAA Championship.
NOTES AND NUGGETS
-Rhodes College and the University of the South played for the SAA Championship for the third time in the history of the league. With Sunday's win, it was the second time that Sewanee defeated Rhodes in the title game.
-Along with 2022, the Purple Tigers also had a one-goal victory over the Lynx in 2017, 8-7, in Memphis.
-Sewanee wins its fifth SAA Tournament Championship on Sunday (2013-15-16-17-22). The program is in its 15th season.
-With the victory, the Tigers will make the return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017. This will be the sixth appearance for the Tigers in the Championships (2013-14-15-16-17).
SEWANEE KEY STATISTICS
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Luke Valentine and
Will Wyckoff each scored three points for the Tigers on Sunday. Valentine laced a hat trick, while Wyckoff scored twice and added an assist.
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Davis Gillenwater and
Devon Root each added a goal and an assist.
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Jack Selner and
Carlton Ward each forced four turnovers on defense, while Selner also scooped up four ground balls.
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Charlie Warren won 11-of-21 face offs, and
Greg Ix (5-4) matched a career-high in saves with 14.
RHODES KEY STATISTICS
-Christian Cisneros assisted on three shots, while Ryan Dancy and Sammy Carter each scored twice for the Lynx.
UP NEXT
Earning the automatic qualifier to the NCAA Tournament, Sewanee will await its opponent in the first round of the championships on May 11.
The selection show will air on ncaa.com on Monday, May 9 at 8 p.m. CT.
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