CHARLOTTE, N.C. --- Three scoring runs propelled Queens University of Charlotte to a 23-10 victory over Tusculum University in South Atlantic Conference men's lacrosse action Saturday afternoon.
The 17th-ranked Royals (7-3, 4-2 SAC) scored eight straight goals in the first half, seven in a row spanning halftime and six straight across the third and fourth quarter while outshooting the Pioneers 60-33 for the game. The Royals won 31 of the 37 faceoffs and went 3-for-3 with the extra man while claiming a 44-20 advantage in ground balls.
Kealan Pilon led Queens with four goals and four assists, Tyler Ewen and Ryan Lightsey had three goals apiece and Jack Royer had two goals and four assists as 11 different players collected goals for the Royals in the win.
Nate Raymond scored four goals to tie the program single-season records for both goals and points for the Pioneers (7-5, 1-5 SAC), who also received two goals from Tristan Kirkham and a goal and three assists from Sean Dunn. Wesley Phillips, Kale Lawrence and Lorenz Brown also scored goals for the Pioneers in the contest.
Raymond's fourth goal of the day came with 20 seconds left and tied him with Keegan Bell for the Tusculum single-season goal and point record with 44 goals and 59 points, which Bell accomplished during the 2019 season. Kirkham's second goal of the game in the fourth quarter was his eighth man-up goal of the season, breaking the tie with Nate Wade in 2015 for the most in a single season for the Pioneers.
Tusculum went up 1-0 on a goal by Lawrence less than four minutes into the first quarter, but Queens would score the next seven goals, including five in a 2 1/2 minute span, to go up 7-1 after one quarter. The lead would reach 8-1 before Raymond scored his first of the day with 13:38 left in the first half, and goals from Kirkham and Brown brought Tusculum to within 9-4 with 7:19 remaining. However, Queens would score six goals in just under five minutes to take a 15-4 lead at intermission.
The Pioneers would get goals from Raymond and Dunn early in the third quarter, but Queens would score unanswered to go up 21-6 entering the fourth. Tusculum netted four of the final five goals in the contest, including three in a row from Phillips, Raymond and Kirkham.
Andy Michalski led the Pioneers with four ground balls, with three from Raymond. Faceoff man Alex Alonso was 18-for-19 for the Royals and had 11 ground balls, while Jacob Martin was 9-for-12 on faceoffs with seven ground balls.
Both teams were effective on clears, with Tusculum going 14-for-15 and Queens 15-for-16. Tusculum finished the match with 12 turnovers, while Queens had 11 of their 17 turnovers in the second half.
Ross Geiger played into the fourth quarter and made 11 saves for the Pioneers, while Riley Semmes had three saves in nearly 14 minutes of playing time for Tusculum. William Powley started in goal for Queens and made nine saves in nearly three full quarters, with Wesley Wheat (two saves) and Jayson Alexander (one save) sharing fourth-quarter goalkeeper duties for the Royals.
Tusculum will aim to get back in the win column when the Pioneers host Coker on Saturday, April 9 at Pioneer Field. The Cobras (2-10, 2-4 SAC) opened the season with nine straight losses but have won two of their last three, including a 13-11 win at Mars Hill on Saturday.
