Williamsburg, KY – The fourth-ranked Patriots men's lacrosse team utilized a five goal third quarter to pull away and defeat (RV) Tennessee Wesleyan 14-9 Saturday afternoon at the UC Lacrosse Complex. With the win, UC improves to 9-3 overall and 5-3 in AAC play, while the Bulldogs move to 4-9.
Nick Kava led the way for Cumberlands with four goals, four assists, and four ground balls.
Johnathon Vanover netted a game-high five goals, while
Evan Barton tallied a pair of goals to go along with five ground balls. Seniors
Taylor Long and
Gabe Schwaiger combined for eight caused turnovers and 13 ground balls.
Nathan Foskey notched seven saves in the second half to earn the win.
The Patriots struck first as Kava fired a low shot to take a 1-0 lead, two minutes into the game. He added a second goal before finding Vanover for the goal to take a 3-1 lead with 6:20 remaining. A minute later,
Zachary Swann connected with
Evan Barton for a goal to make it a 4-2 lead.
Owen Hebenstreit and
Gabe Schwaiger combined for three caused turnovers as UC took a 5-2 lead.
The Kava to Vanover connection was called upon to open the second quarter extending the lead to 6-2. Tennessee Wesleyan went on a 4-1 run to cut the lead to 7-6 at the break.
Foskey entered the game in the third quarter and made an immediate save, while Kava found
Maalek Wilson for a goal to give UC an 8-6 advantage. Kava found Vanover for the third time on the day before Rogers connected with Kava to make it a 10-6 lead with 9:16 remaining. Foskey made five saves in the quarter, while Vanover added a late unassisted goal to make it 12-8 in favor of Cumberlands.
Opening the fourth quarter, Long notched a caused turnover which lead to a Vanover goal.
Ashton Clayburn, Long, and Kava combined for four caused turnovers, while Foskey made a pair of saves in the quarter for the 14-9 final.
Cumberlands clinched the fourth-seed in the AAC Tournament and will host the fifth-seed in the AAC Quarterfinals next week.
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