Williamsburg, KY – The eighth-ranked University of the Cumberlands men's lacrosse team had six players record at least one goal, while the defense had 12 caused turnovers and 12 saves to defeat ninth-ranked SCAD 11-5 in their home opener Saturday afternoon at James H. Taylor, II Stadium.  With the win the Patriots improve to 1-1, while the Bees fall to 3-1.

Cumberlands struck first as Nick DiFranco forced a Sean Parmer turnover and on the ensuing possession Sam Collinson netted an unassisted goal to put UC ahead 1-0 midway through the opening period.  Jake Mitchell scooped up the faceoff and Whitten McCune put a well-placed shot into the lower corner of the cage for a goal to extend the lead to 2-0. SCAD looked to answer but Will Settle made three of his four first quarter saves to keep them shutout. His final save of the quarter led to McCune connected with Quaye for a goal to give Cumberlands a 3-0 advantage.

The Patriots took advantage of another SCAD turnover as Preston Brooks' shot found the back of the cage to make it 4-0 with 10:12 remaining in the second quarter.  The Bees responded with back-to-back goals to cut the lead to 4-2 with 4:12 left in the first half.  Cumberlands was able to extend the lead to 5-2 as McCune netted his second goal of the contest a minute later.  SCAD won the ensuing faceoff and Sean Parmer scored a goal to cut the lead to 5-3 at halftime.

Cumberlands strong play continued into the third quarter as McCune's goal at the 11:52 mark gave him his first career hat trick and put the Patriots in front 6-3.  UC won the succeeding faceoff and on the Patriots possession Dylan Crouch found Jake Mitchell in front of the cage for the one-timer, 19 seconds later. The score remained that way until the 7:00 mark when Quaye put a shot just inside the post for a goal to make it 8-3 in favor of UC. SCAD added a goal in the final minutes of the quarter to make it 8-4 after three periods.

UC began the fourth quarter with possession and capitalize on the opportunity as Quaye put a bounce shot past Connor Goonan to complete his hat trick. The two teams traded goals before Crouch tallied an unassisted goal for the 11-5 final.  

Leading the way for the Patriots was McCune who tallied four points, while Quaye and Crouch posted three points apiece. Defensively, UC was led by DiFranco who recorded a game high five caused turnovers and nine ground balls. The trio of Jake Morgan, Bryan Morgan, and Walker Lacy combined for nine ground balls and six caused turnovers.  Settle finished with 12 saves, seven of which came in the second half. 

The Patriots will return to the field Sunday, February 25, when they host Michigan-Dearborn.  The game is slated for 2 p.m. with live video available here, while live stats are available here.

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