Livonia, MI – The #4 Cumberlands men's lacrosse team opened the game with five straight goals as the Patriots earned the 14-9 road win over #6 Madonna.  With the win, UC improves to 4-0 on the season, while Madonna moves to 4-2 overall.

Maalek Wilson led the way for the Patriots with four goals, while Evan Barton and Johnathon Vanover tallied three points each in the win.  Nick Kava and Caden Abbott both tallied a goal and an assists, while Gabe Schwaiger scooped five ground balls and a goal.  Jack Bichsel made eight saves and four ground balls, while Barton and Dakota White notched four ground balls each.
 
The Patriots strike first after forcing a failed clear, Maalek Wilson dodged and netted his first goal of the game to make it 1-0.  Cumberlands tacked on a goal two minutes later as Nick Kava connected with Evan Barton to make it 2-0.  UC defense continued to pressure the Crusaders, while Johnathon Vanover put a well-placed shot into the cage to extend the lead to 3-0 midway through the first quarter.  Taylor Long scooped the ground ball off the next faceoff and found Ty Grooms in transition for his first goal of the season.  Madonna scored two of the next three goals before Barton connects with Vanover to put the Patriots up 6-2 after the first quarter.

After having a goal waiver off in the opening minutes of the second quarter Jack Bichsel scooped a ground ball and kick started a transition that resulted in a Caden Abbott goal to make it 7-2.  The Crusaders scored a pair of goals before UC took advantage of a Madonna penalty as Abbott found Kava for a man-up goal to make it 8-4 with 6:01 remaining.  Bichsel added a pair of saves before Vanover completed the hat trick to give UC the 9-4 lead at half.

Bichsel and the Patriots defense notched four turnovers over the first seven minutes of the third quarter, while UC tallied goals from Wilson and Dennis Smith to extend the lead to 11-4.  Madonna scored three of the next four goals as Gabe Schwaiger netted his first goal of the season as Cumberlands led 12-7 with 4:53 remaining.  Cumberlands defense continued to step up not allowing the Crusaders to get closer, while Wilson notched his fourth goal of the game to make it 13-7 heading into the fourth quarter.

UC opened the fourth quarter with a goal from Will Rogers to give the Patriots a 14-7 advantage.  Bichsel made four of his game-high eight saves in the fourth quarter, while the Patriots defense kept the Crusaders at-bay for the 14-9 victory.

The Patriots return to the field Saturday, March 1^st, when they travel to Fort Wayne, IN to face fourth-ranked Indiana Tech.  

For the latest and most up-to-date information on University of the Cumberlands Athletics. Please visit www.cumberlandspatriots.com. Follow us on Twitter- @UC_Patriots and @UCPatsGameday, Instagram- @UCPatriots, TikTok- @ucpatriots, YouTube- Cumberlands Patriots, and Facebook by searching University of the Cumberlands Athletics.