Last week, the University of Alabama-Huntsville became the first Peach Belt Conference men’s lacrosse team to gain a Division II national ranking! In good spirits, UAH traveled to Lander University for the first game of the Peach Belt Conference season, which has a round-robin style playoff. These teams have played against each other five times before, with the Chargers coming out on top four times. UAH didn’t have room to relax, though, as all those wins were home games. Their one loss was an away game, just like this one. An excellent performance from the Chargers this season had the potential to overcome that weakness, but it was still anyone’s game.
Photo Cred: Lander University Athletics
The first quarter opened with UAH going on a fierce offensive, scoring a point two minutes into the opening minutes. Lander scored a point of their own a couple of minutes later, but it was clear that they were on the back foot. The Chargers proceeded to bowl over the Bearcats, scoring four more points in the first quarter. Lander called a timeout with a minute left on the clock and reconvened themselves, scoring two points afterward. The first quarter ended with UAH ahead with a 5-3 score.
Photo Cred: UAH Athletics
The second quarter began with the Bearcats having found their footing, scoring two points in just over a minute of play. This brought the game to a tie, which the Chargers rectified by scoring a point of their own soon after. UAH and Lander would then trade a point each, bringing the score to 7-6. After this, the Chargers began to slow down and falter, as the Bearcats scored another three points. UAH closed the quarter with another point, bringing the score to 9-8 in favor of Lander.
Photo Cred: UAH Athletics
The second half of the game began with both teams trading one point at the beginning of the third quarter. This would be the last time that the Chargers would score during the game. The Bearcats proceeded to rampage across the field, scoring seven straight, uninterrupted points throughout the third and fourth quarters. The final score was 17-9 in favor of Lander University.
Photo Cred: Lander University Athletics
