DANVILLE, Ky.- On Friday, the Centre men's lacrosse team returned to action after a nearly two weeklong rest. Earning the first-round bye, the no. 1 seeded Colonels entered the Southern Athletic Association's (SAA) Semifinals where they hosted the fifth seeded Birmingham-Southern (BSC). Leading for much of the contest, the Gold & White eliminated the Panthers with a final score of 16-7. 

HIGHLIGHTS
- The Colonels were the first to find the back of the net, David Caldwell joining the scoring column four minutes in. The Panthers retaliated with a pair of back-to-back scores to take their one and only lead of the game. Paxton Brown later closed the quarter's scoring, adjusting the score to 2-2.
- The Colonels secured the lead in the second period, outscoring BSC 3-1 in the frame. Caldwell registered the first of three unanswered goals with the help of Ridr Knowlton. Noah Malubay doubled the score deficit less than a minute later with an unassisted point. Brown concluded the Colonels' 3-0 run as the Panthers closed the half with a goal in the final ten seconds. Heading into halftime, the Gold & White led 5-3.
- Out of the break, BSC struck early with the first score of the second half. In the following two possessions, Caldwell returned Centre's hold to two before rookie Ryan Hall added another point seconds later. The Panthers tallied one additional point before the Colonels trailed away with four unbroken goals. By the end of the frame, Henry Cato, Max Speers, and Ryan Black joined the scoring column.
- Centre continued to dominate in the final quarter, opening with three successive goals in just two minutes. Graysen Jolly recorded the first goal, followed directly by scores from Ben Zickel and Black. With just under two minutes to go, Nate Malubay closed the game's scoring with the assist from Bryant Brown. When time ran out, Centre bettered BSC 16-7 to advance to the SAA Championship game.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Black led the game in goals with four, adding two assists for six total points. Caldwell followed with three while P. Brown registered two.
- Dylan Croft dominated at the face off, winning 17 of his 19 taken. The senior fronted the game in ground balls with 15.
- In goal, Hayden Burns and Avi Leffler shared time. Together the two collected 11 saves and conducted the Colonels to a nearly perfect 16-17 clears.

UP NEXT
Men's lacrosse will advance to, and host, the SAA Championship game on Sunday April 29^th at 1 p.m. ET.