by Jules Gonsoulin
sports editor
The men’s lacrosse team suffered a loss in the opening game of their Texas road trip this weekend, losing 17-10 to the Southwestern University Pirates. The Majors opened the game strong, but the Pirates’ offense was ultimately too overwhelming for Millsaps’ defense to keep at bay.
The Majors shot well in the first quarter, taking a 2-0 lead five minutes into the game. Parks Douglass capitalized on a man-up opportunity and an assist from Sam Snyder to score the opening goal, and 14 seconds later, Jack Houtz scored an unassisted goal.
Everett Barger started the scoring for Southwestern on an unassisted goal with eight minutes to play in the first quarter, and from there, the Pirates scored four additional goals before the Majors could respond. One goal from freshman Garrett Perez and two back-to-back Simon Sherman goals kept the Majors in the game to start the second quarter, but Southwestern continued to pile up points, ending the first half with a scoreline of 11-5.
In the third quarter, Barger and Parker Rankin bolstered the Southwestern lead by adding three goals to open the second half. Houtz responded with an unassisted goal, but Southwestern closed the quarter with an assurance goal to bring the score to 15-6. From there, Colton Bibb, Houtz, and Perez all scored goals, but Southwestern closed out the offensive contest to win the game 17-10.
While the scoreline may not indicate it, the Pirates narrowly edged out the Majors on the offensive stat sheet. Southwestern won the ground ball contest 47-40, and they led in face-offs 16-14.
Goaltender Riley McLean made 11 saves to Southwestern’s 10. After the game, McLean, the current captain, commented on his team’s cohesiveness this year. “We are all one unit,” he said. “In the past we’ve been a bunch of different groups and haven’t been close. This year we focus on being a family. Everything we do together as a family.”
The Majors return to Harper Davis field on Monday to take on Hanover College. First face off is set for 7 p.m.