FERRUM, Va.  Methodist jumped all over host Ferrum College Saturday night in a non-conference men's lacrosse match-up, scoring five goals while allowing none in the first quarter of an eventual 12-8 road victory over the Panthers.

Bryce Kephart's five-point night (four goals, one assist) helped the Monarch attack, while Nick Lemieux's 14 face-off victories and Liam Von Hoene's five saves in goal helped the defense.

JUST THE FACTS
Final score: Methodist def. Ferrum, 12-8
Records: Methodist 1-1, Ferrum 0-1
Location: Ferrum, Va.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Fast.
• Lemieux won the opening faceoff for Methodist's initial advantage in the game, if only on the stat sheet. It did not take long for the advantage to show up on the scoreboard, though, as Matt Pemberton, off a feed from Mark Chatt, scored in the fourth minute to provide a lead that would never be relinquished.
• Pemberton's marker seemed to tilt the field downhill toward the Ferrum crease as AJ Mejia, then Kephart, then Hunter Vaughan, and another from Pemberton lit up the scoreboard during the first quarter.
• The Panthers scored the opening two goals of the second quarter to gain some life, but the Monarchs finished off the 10-minute frame with four unanswered scores to head into the halftime break with a commanding 9-2 lead.
• Ferrum's five-goal third quarter definitely put a scare into the Monarchs, and an added goal to open the final quarter -- in a consecutive five-goal stretch -- provided the home team with hope, but the Methodist defense locked down after that and the only other goal in the contest came from Kephart's crosse nearing the final minute of the contest.

STAT FACTS

• Pemberton's first-goal was not his first first-goal. He also notched Methodist's opening goal in a season-opening loss on February 9.
• Matching Kephart in goals was Mejia who scored four times as well.
• Kephart and Vaughn scored their first goals of the season during Saturday's victory.
• Shot totals favored the Monarchs, 37-28, as did ground ball totals, 24-19.
• Lemieux's 14-of-22 night at the face-off dot held true the axiom that states, 'win the face-off, win the game,' as the 14 to 8 'score' at the dot nearly matched that of what was up on the scoreboard.

NEXT UP
The Monarchs are at home for their next contest, a non-conference match-up Saturday at noon against visiting Virginia Wesleyan College.