by Jules Gonsoulin
sports editor
The men’s lacrosse team’s two game season-opening winning streak ended Wednesday as the Majors lost their first game of the season, 7-5, to Huntingdon College.
The first quarter was a defensive matchup for both teams. Neither team scored until the final two minutes of the quarter, when Huntingdon’s Kendrick Ballard scored twice, once with 1:38 and again with 0:54 left. Millsaps’ Simon Sherman answered Ballard’s attacks with a goal of his own 18 seconds after Huntingdon’s second goal. This marked Sherman’s sixth goal on the season.
The second quarter featured more effective offensive play. Freshman Sam Snyder scored a goal three minutes into the quarter, tying the game 2-2. That was followed by a Sherman goal and a go ahead score by Huntingdon to bring the scoreline to 4-3 at the halfway mark.
The Huntingdon College Hawks opened the third quarter with a quick goal, but Sherman secured his hat trick by scoring an unassisted goal not long after. Huntingdon suffered a 30-second tripping penalty in the waning minutes of the third quarter, resulting in a power-play goal by Jack Houtz, tying the score at five.
In the fourth quarter, however, Huntingdon’s Brandon Scheele and Jakob Works scored the last goals of the game, bringing the final score to 7-5. The Majors’ win streak ended in a resilient effort against a team who the players consider a non-conference rival.
Junior goaltender Riley McLean had a stellar performance, racking up ten saves in the defensive matchup. The Southern Athletic Association named him athlete of the week for his efforts against Piedmont College and Hope College.
The Majors will travel to Georgetown, Texas next weekend to play Southwestern University and the University of Dallas.