SEWANEE, Tenn.  Starting the 2025 season more than eight hours away from home, the Methodist men's lacrosse team traveled to the state of Tennessee to face the Tigers of Sewanee: University of the South on Saturday. Freshman Jay Legg led the team offensively with a pair of goals, but the Monarchs fell 18–6.

THE ESSENTIALS
Final score: Sewanee def. Methodist, 18–6
Records: Methodist 0-1, Sewanee 1-0
Location: Harris Stadium; Sewanee, Tennessee

HOW IT HAPPENED

• A hot start for the Tigers saw the Monarchs facing a 5–0 deficit at the end of the first quarter. Sewanee's five goals were the product of 16 shots, while Methodist fired just four attempts at the opposing goalie.
• The second period proved to be even more lopsided in terms of shots taken, with Sewanee sending the ball toward the net 22 times and Methodist taking just two shots. The Monarchs were a perfect 2–for–2 in the period, with RJ Breeden scoring the first goal of the quarter to pull Methodist within four. After a goal by the Tigers, Legg netted his first goal as a Monarch to make the score 6–2, but Sewanee piled on four more scores before the half to go up by eight.
• After eight minutes of scoreless second–half play, Legg got back on the board with his second goal of the outing. Graham Clausen won the ensuing faceoff, giving Methodist possession again and allowing Logan Florio to score his first collegiate goal. The Tigers scored three times in the final five minutes of the third quarter, only answered by Clausen, who scooped up the ball on a faceoff with 15 seconds left in the period and took it to the house himself.
• Down by eight, the Monarchs conceded five more goals in the fourth quarter while scoring just one more of their own, which came from the stick of J.R. Newman.

FAST FACTS

• Goalkeeper Ethan Jahr recorded 16 saves in his Methodist debut.
• Sewanee was almost flawless executing its clear attempts, succeeding 18 of 19 times. The Tigers also turned the ball over just 11 times compared to the 22 turnovers committed by the Monarchs.
• Methodist's offense was extremely limited in the first half, scoring only on their two extra–man opportunities. On the other hand, while the Monarchs were able to nearly quadruple the number of shots they took in the second half, they simultaneously were unable to take advantage of any of their five man–up chances.
• The Monarchs were the Division III statistical champions for faceoff win percentage in 2024, but they met their match on Saturday, winning less than half of their faceoffs (13–28). Asa Nischwitz, a sophomore for Sewanee, corralled 15 of his 22 faceoffs.

UP NEXT
The Monarchs have a week to prepare for their next opponent, the Goucher College Gophers. Having met in each of the last three seasons, Goucher and Methodist have played a tight match on all three occasions, with the Gophers coming out on top in 2023 and 2024. This year's meeting between the two squads will take place on Saturday, Feb. 15 at 1 p.m. on the campus of Goucher in Baltimore, Maryland.