MOUNT BERRY, Ga. (CentreColonels.com) – The Centre men's lacrosse team snapped a two-game losing skid as they picked up their first Southern Athletic Association win of the season with an 8-6 win at Berry. The Colonels held the Vikings to just one goal in the second half en route to the victory.

The Vikings opened up the scoring two minutes into the opening period with a goal from Christian Akers, but it would take the Colonels just over 30 seconds to respond when senior Dustin Cowell (Culver, Ind.) found fellow senior Joe Lencewicz (Gates Mills, Ohio) for his first goal of the day. The two teams played the remaining 12 minutes evenly as each team scored once more, with Centre's goal coming courtesy of junior Bryant Portwood (Charlotte, N.C.).

The second quarter was also a back and forth affair as the two teams traded goals. An unassisted effort from senior Matt Hughes (Vero Beach, Fla.) tied the score at 3-3, and then after the Vikings scored, a penalty gave the Colonels an extra man advantage and Centre capitalized as Hughes found Lencewicz for his second goal of the game. Berry would get the last laugh on a tight second period as Quentin Johnson scored with one second remaining to give the Vikings a 5-4 lead.

Unlike their previous two losses, Centre quickly rallied at the start of the second half, dominating the third quarter. Sophomore Dominic Peluso (Redondo Beach, Calif.) tied the score at 5-5 after Hughes's second assist of the day, and then the two teams played scoreless lacrosse for the next ten minutes. Junior Austin Zehnder (Prospect, Ky.) broke the tie with an unassisted goal, and then Lencewicz gave Centre a 7-5 lead just under three minutes later. The Vikings would score with 1:25 left in the period to cut the lead to 7-6, but that was the only shot that the Centre defense allowed in the entire quarter.

The defenses controlled the pace of the fourth quarter as Nick Voso of Berry and Centre sophomore Samuel Long (Cincinnati, Ohio) saved multiple shot attempts. With just over three minutes to go in the game, Centre cleared the ball and then senior Conor Bennett (Alpharetta, Ga.) set up Lencewicz for his fourth goal of the game and his 20th of the season to finish off the scoring. Long made one more critical save in the final minute of play to help preserve the win.

For the game, Centre outshot Berry 41-35, including 25-15 in shots on goal, and held a 20-15 edge in ground balls. The Colonels also won 10-17 faceoffs in the game. Lencewicz led all scorers with four goals, while Matt Hughes recorded a game high two assists.

The Centre men's lacrosse team, now 5-3 on the year and 1-1in SAA play, will be back in action on Mar. 25 when they travel to Birmingham, Ala. for another SAA road tilt at Birmingham Southern.