DEMOREST, Ga.  The Methodist men's lacrosse team was outpaced by Piedmont, falling 17-11 in Saturday's USA South contest. The Monarchs captured a two-goal lead but were unable to stay in front of the Lions.

THE ESSENTIALS
Final score: Piedmont def. Methodist, 17-11
Records: Methodist 3-6 (1-1 USA South), Piedmont 5-3 (1-0)
Location: Walker Ath. Complex; Demorest, Georgia

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Lions were first to find the back of the net, scoring the first two goals of the match. The Monarchs shortly found their rhythm offensively, pounding in four-straight scores (two by Hunter Vaughan) to end the first quarter with a 4-2 advantage.
• Piedmont answered with four-straight scores of its own, shutting out Methodist in the second quarter to surge to a 6-4 lead.
• The Lions struck first in the second half to push their lead to three goals before RJ Breeden scored for the Monarchs (assisted by Vaughan) on a man-up opportunity. Methodist conceded two more goals, then Vaughan assisted another teammate on a man-up score – this time Ryan Kavounis. Down 9-6, the Monarchs gave up another four-goal run as Piedmont cashed in the last two scores of the third quarter and the first two scores of the fourth.
• In the high-scoring final period, Vaughan and Breeden were next to score, putting in back-to-back goals for Methodist. Still down five, the Monarchs traded goals with the Lions (another score by Vaughan). Piedmont scored three more goals to take a 17-9 lead before Vaughan scored twice in the final two minutes.

FAST FACTS

• Hunter Vaughan scored a career-high six goals while also recording two assists, taking part in eight of Methodist's 11 scores.
• The Lions won the ground ball battle, recording 49 ground balls to Methodist's 29.
• Methodist finished 3-for-7 on extra-man opportunities while Piedmont was just 1-for-5 on such chances.

UP NEXT
The Monarchs are back at home for their next match, hosting Greensboro College on Saturday, March 25 at 1 p.m.