For the second straight season, the Sewanee men’s lacrosse team earned the Southern Athletic Association (SAA) Tournament championship with a 9-7 win over rival Centre, April 24, at Sewanee’s historic Hardee-McGee Field at Harris Stadium.
The win gives Sewanee the SAA’s automatic bid into the 2016 NCAA Tournament. Sewanee is now the first team in league history to win back-to-back titles. The Tigers have won three championships (2013, 2015, 2016) since the league’s first season in 2013.
Sewanee opened the game on a 4-0 run by the end of the first quarter. During that stretch, Robbie Berndt scored twice, while Peter Brown and Cotter Brown also added a goal.
Ahead 4-0 to start the second quarter, Sewanee kept rolling. Peter Brown added his second goal, while Hayden Byrd ripped a shot in with 11:39 left in the first half.
Centre did not go away quietly. The Colonels scored the next four goals to pull to within two, 6-4, with 9:23 left to play in the third quarter.
Peter Brown then slowed the Centre run with his third goal three-and-a-half minutes later. Joe Lencewicz then cut the Tiger lead back to two, 7-5, before the third quarter ended.
After Thomas Lynde picked up a loose ball and fired in the Tigers’ eighth goal, Centre answered back with back-to-back goals.
With Centre down only one with 5:50 to play, Sewanee stepped up. Along with outstanding defense, Sewanee was able to kill the clock on offense. As time ticked down, freshman Hayden Hunt put the game away with a goal with 12 seconds to play.
On offense, Peter Brown, the tournament’s MVP, finished with three goals and three ground balls to go along with his caused turnovers.
