ANDERSON, S.C. – The Anderson University men's lacrosse team came up short in the South Atlantic Conference quarterfinals to the Limestone Saints by a score of 20-10 on Tuesday (Apr. 25) at Spero Financial Field.
Limestone entered the match with an 11-4 record, while winning seven of their last eight games since falling to Anderson in overtime (15-14) on March 11th. The only loss the Saints suffered since then was also in overtime to No.7 Lenoir-Rhyne (18-17) on April 15th, both games being on the road.
For the Trojans, after a four-game losing streak from late March to early April, the team has been able to right the ship with back-to-back wins against Mars Hill and Lincoln Memorial to clinch the fourth seed and home turf advantage in the conference tournament.
Chris Erneston got Limestone on the scoreboard in the first minute of the match but was quickly answered from a goal by Keaton Mathews to tie the score. After back-to-back goals from the Saints, the Trojans fought back with four unanswered scores, three of which coming from Radyn Badraun, as the Trojans went into the second period tied 5-5.
Michael McGarry and Zachary Terry each had great first halves for Limestone as they both notched a hat trick. The Saints scored the first six goals of the second quarter and outscored the Trojans 8-1 in the period to build a 13-6 halftime lead.
Momentum stayed in Limestone's favor in the second half, as the Saints scored the first seven goals of the half, totaling up a 17-1 scoring run since late in the first quarter. The Trojans were able to finish strong as Ryan Bitterman scored his second goal of the night, and senior Beau Henson scored his final goal of his great career in the black and gold. Limestone held on for the 20-10 victory, and the right to advance to the SAC Semis where they will take on No.1 Wingate on Friday (Apr. 28) in Matthews, North Carolina.
Inside the Box
Radyn Badraun led the Trojans with five goals
Peyton Jefferson led with three caused turnovers.
Mason Gore (five) and Ethan Pratt (four) led in ground balls
Logan Gaddis (three) and Ryley Zopfi (two) led in assists
Hunter Klosterman finished with 15 saves, while Bryce Cheek had six.
Quote from Coach Albert Mitchell
Not the result we wanted tonight but I am proud of our effort. We fought hard but did not execute well mentally or physically. This is a great learning experience for the team to know how we need to play in the big-time moments.
2023 was good to us in so many ways. 12 wins, ranked every week of the season, and getting as high as #9/12 and to host a playoff game in the toughest conference in the country are no easy feats. I'm proud of the effort these young men have put forth to get the program to this level at the end of year three.
Our three seniors have had tremendous careers. Beau and Ryley are not only phenomenal players, but we would not be where we are as a program without them. They helped turn a team that had never played a game to a nationally competitive program. Their leadership from day one has been remarkable. It was remarkable how Bryce Cheek came in this fall and instantly became a key contributor on and off the field. He is such a great person, he pushed all of us to be better in so many ways. We are forever in debt to these three and their efforts!
