Box Score

Memphis, TN - The men's lacrosse team earned their first collegiate win in Piedmont history with a 19-10 win at Rhodes College Saturday afternoon.  The Lions, who were up 10-3 at the half, outscored the Lynx 16-6 over the first three quarters of play, and finished the match off with a 3-4 fourth quarter score.

Spencer Ortis got the Lions off with a first-quarter goal at the 15:00 mark, assisted by John Sumner Gantz.  Patrick Ammons was the next to put one on the board off an assist by Nicholas Green.  11 seconds later Ortis notched his second goal, this one unassisted to put the men up 3-0.  Rhodes College finally got on the board with 6:34 to go in the opening quarter, scoring a goal with a man up after Steve Blanchard was penalized.

Green scored twice more in the period as part of seven Piedmont goals.  Blanchard scored first in the second as Piedmont played a man up, stretching the lead to 8-1 after the assist by Max Rowse.  Rowse scored later in the quarter before Blanchard again shot one past the goalie.  A pair of Lynx goals narrowed the gap slightly to 10-3 going into the half.

The Lions' offense picked up the intensity with six third quarter goals, two coming from Ammons, while Green, Gantz, Blanchard and Nick Leaf all added to the score.  Up 16-4, the Lions gave way a tad, leaving the Lynx room to charge back some with a pair of goals in the final 1:33 of the third to pull within 10 of the lead.  Rhodes College made it four unanswered goals as they found their way past goalie Dale Morely to open the fourth period.  Piedmont found themselves up just 16-8 before Rowse stopped the bleeding with an assisted goal from Ammons.  Rowse returned the favor moments later to teammate Gantz, who made it an 18-8, 10-goal game once again.

The Lynx went back to work with a furious comeback attempt in the final four minutes of the game, scoring twice more to pull within eight of the lead.  Blanchard's fourth goal with 1:12 remaining sealed the win for Piedmont however.  Rowse tallied eight points on the game with three goals and five assists, while Ammons had three goals and three assists to go with 10 ground balls and 13 faceoff wins.  Green and Gantz both had three goals and one assist apiece, and Ortis collected a pair of goals of his own.  Morely was effective in the goal, recording 11 saves in the win.