(Pensacola, FL) – #6 Concordia men's lacrosse faced off against #3 Cumberlands on Wednesday in the first round of the NAIA National Invitational. The Cardinals appeared for the first time in school history and looked to avenge a 7-6 overtime loss to the Patriots earlier this year. CUAA battled hard and kept the game close through three quarters, but Cumberlands eventually pulled away for a 14-8 win.
Sam Bowling played a complete game in net making 8 saves. Sam Saje won the opening faceoff and both teams traded early offensive chances. The Patriots struck first, but the Cardinals answered when Noah Sorenson took a feed from Andrew Simmons in front of the net and scored. Both teams traded goals again with Evan Stuart scoring on a similar play with Travis Wright assisting. Stuart scored his second marker on the run and CUAA trailed 4-3 after the 1st.
Spencer Guppy notched a powerplay marker in the 2nd to put the Cardinals down 5-4. Cumberlands answered with two goals to rebuild their lead. Concordia buzzed around the net late in the half, but CUAA trailed 7-4 at halftime.
The Cardinals made a run in the 3rd with Noah Sorenson running through multiple defenders for an unassisted goal. Travis Wright scored less than a minute later after a pass from Ross Preston. However, the Patriots responded and led 10-6 after the 3rd.
Cooper Regimbal scored early in the 4th with Ross Preston drawing the assist. The Patriots continued to execute on offense while their goalkeeper held the Cardinals at bay. Travis Wright slipped in a goal with under 2 minutes remaining with Ross Preston assisting. However, CUAA fell by a final score of 14-8.
