Waleska, GA – Jake Mitchell found Caleb Elerick for the game-winning goal with 1:09 remaining in overtime as the fifth-ranked UC men's lacrosse team defeated Tennessee Wesleyan 16-15 Friday afternoon. With the win the Patriots advance to the championship game of the AAC tournament and improve to 12-3 on the season.

Cumberlands got off to a strong start scoring back-to-back goals on their first two possessions as Dalton Smith and Kody Swann both found the back of the cage in the first 1:08 of play.  Preston Brooks added an unassisted goal to push UC's lead to 3-0 with 11:05 remaining.  After Tennessee Wesleyan got on the board, Dylan Crouch found Sam Collinson cutting towards the cage for a goal to make to 4-1 with 6:06 remaining.  The Bulldogs netted two of the next three goals to cut the lead to 5-3 after the first quarter.

Whitten McCune netted an unassisted goal two minutes into the second quarter to extend Cumberlands lead to 6-3. After the lead got cut to 6-5, Crouch and Elerick notched back-to-back goals for the Patriots to push the lead to 8-5 midway through the second quarter.  McCune added his second goal of the quarter to give Cumberlands a 9-6 lead at the break.

The Bulldogs tallied consecutive goals to start the third quarter and cut the lead to 9-8 with 7:47 remaining.  UC won the ensuing faceoff and on that possession Elerick found Thomas Fogarty for a goal, which was followed by an unassisted goal from Henry Quaye to extend Cumberlands lead to 11-8.  Tennessee Wesleyan scored three unanswered goals to close out the quarter and even the score at 11-11.

Cumberlands responded with four straight goals, over a four-minute span, to start the fourth quarter giving UC a 15-11 edge.  Crouch recorded three of the four goals as Collison netted the fourth. Tennessee Wesleyan notch four straight goals including the equalizer with 26 seconds remaining to even the score and force overtime. 

In overtime, Will Settle made a pair of saves to keep the Patriots alive with 1:18 remaining. After stopping a Roderick Williams shot, Settle pushed the ball forward when Mitchell found Elerick for the game-winning transition goal.

Crouch led the way for UC with four goals and an assist, while Elerick notched four points. Swann finished the game going 23-34 on faceoffs with 15 ground balls and a goal.  Nick DiFranco and Devon McMillin both finished with five ground balls.

The Patriots return to the field Saturday, April 27, when they face the second-seed Reinhardt in the title game for the second consecutive season.  The game is slated for 1 p.m. with live video available here.

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