FAYETTEVILLE, N.C.  Methodist University men's lacrosse began the 2024 season with a home non-conference game against Goucher College on Saturday, February 17. A tightly contested battle saw the Gophers claim a 12-8 victory over the Monarchs.

THE ESSENTIALS
Final score: Goucher def. Methodist, 12-8
Records: Methodist 0-1, Goucher 1-0
Location: Monarch Stadium; Fayetteville, North Carolina

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Goucher came out of the gate strong by recording the first three goals of the contest, which forced first year head coach Ryan McKay, of Methodist, to call a timeout. Following the huddle, the Monarchs got scores from Cy Horner and Nate Moore to make it 3-2 by the time the first quarter came to an end.
• In the second frame, Methodist kept its offensive momentum going with a goal by Jesse Leyble to tie the game up, 3-3. Shortly after Leyble's score, the Gophers tallied another string of three consecutive goals to go up 6-3. An additional score by each team, with Mark Chatt registering the one for the Monarchs, made it 7-4 heading into halftime.
• Jacob Burnette and Ryan Kavounis started the third period with two early goals to bring Methodist within one of Goucher's lead. Within the last five minutes of the third, the Gophers increased their advantage back up to three, 10-6, after scoring three goals in a row, for the third time.
• Just 14 seconds into the fourth quarter, a man-up goal by Moore made it a two-score ballgame for Methodist. The Monarchs had multiple offensive opportunities to close the gap but were unable to find the back of the cage. During that time Goucher tacked on two more insurance goals to put the game out of reach. The final goal for Methodist, and the contest, came off the stick of Chatt.

FAST FACTS

• Kaleb Simpson dominated the faceoff X for the Monarchs. Out of his 20 faceoffs, he won 18 of them and secured 10 groundballs.
• With a total of four points, Chatt led the Methodist offense with two goals and two assists. Following after him was Moore (two goals) & Kavounis (one goal & one assist) with two points each.
• Starting in net for the Monarchs was Gabe Russell, who made a team-high nine saves.

UP NEXT
Methodist embarks on a three-game road trip beginning with a game on Tuesday, February 20, at Virginia Wesleyan University. The opening faceoff is scheduled for 5 PM.