Danville, Ky – It was the Semifinals of the SAA Men's Lacrosse tournament with a familiar match-up as the Colonels took on the Rhodes Lynx for the second time, hoping to maintain momentum with a win but in the end falling to Rhodes in overtime 12–11.
Both teams came out firing, trading possessions and testing the goalkeepers in the opening minutes. Rhodes generated a flurry of early shots, but
Hayden Burns stood tall in net for Centre, turning away multiple attempts to keep the game scoreless.
Centre broke through first midway through the quarter, when
Ben Hubbs found the back of the net, capitalizing on the Colonels' early possession advantage. Rhodes answered later in the period with a goal from Ford Stratton to even things up, but that response was short-lived.
Colonels quickly seized momentum behind dominant faceoff play from
Samuel Berry. Off consecutive wins, the Colonels struck twice in rapid succession—
Ryan Hall finished a feed from Hubbs, and moments later
Ryan Black added another off an assist from
Nick Witcher. The quick burst gave Centre a two-goal cushion and control of the pace.
Rhodes continued to apply pressure with a high volume of shots, but struggled with accuracy, hitting the post multiple times and sending several attempts wide. Centre's defense held firm, while Burns continued to anchor the back line with key saves.
In the closing seconds, Rhodes found a late spark as Gavin Nagle scored off a setup from Griffin Galloway, trimming the deficit just before the horn.
The second quarter turned into a battle of pressure and responses, with Centre maintaining its edge despite heavy offensive pressure from Rhodes.
Rhodes came out aggressive, dominating the opening minutes with a barrage of shots, but
Hayden Burns was outstanding in goal for Centre. Time and again, he denied point-blank opportunities, allowing the Colonels to withstand the surge and keep their lead intact.
Centre capitalized on that resilience. After weathering the early storm,
Graysen Jolly extended the lead with a composed finish, giving the Colonels breathing room. Rhodes answered midway through the quarter with a goal from John Mori to cut the deficit back to one, but Centre continued to respond at the right moments.
Ben Hubbs restored a two-goal cushion with a strong finish, and later Jolly struck again—this time off a setup from Hubbs—as Centre's offense showed efficiency even without heavy shot volume.
Rhodes refused to go away. Taking advantage of a penalty, Mori converted on a man-up opportunity, and Griffin Galloway added another late in the quarter to keep the Lynx within striking distance. Still, missed chances, including another shot off the post, proved costly for Rhodes as they struggled to fully capitalize on their offensive pressure.
The third quarter proved to be the turning point—and this time, it was Centre that seized full control.
Rhodes struck first out of the break, as John Mori found the equalizer to tie the game at 6–6, briefly shifting momentum in the Lynx's favor. But that would be the last time Rhodes found the back of the net in the period.
Centre responded with authority.
Sims Anderson quickly restored the lead, finishing a clean offensive sequence to make it 7–6. From there, the Colonels began to pull away, capitalizing on discipline and execution. After drawing a penalty, Centre's man-up unit delivered, with
Thomas Tyack converting off a feed from
Ryan Hall to extend the lead.
That opened the floodgates.
Tyack struck again minutes later, giving him back-to-back goals and pushing Centre's lead to three. The Colonels controlled possession throughout the stretch, winning key faceoffs, scooping up ground balls, and forcing turnovers that kept Rhodes on the defensive.
Meanwhile, Centre's defense tightened significantly. After allowing the early equalizer, they shut down Rhodes' attack for the remainder of the quarter. When the Lynx did manage chances,
Hayden Burns was there once again, making timely saves to preserve the growing lead.
By the end of a dominant third quarter, Centre had flipped a tight game into a multi-goal advantage, outscoring Rhodes 3–0 after the early tie and taking firm command heading into the final period.
The fourth quarter delivered a dramatic finish, as Centre's lead slipped away in the closing moments and Rhodes forced overtime.
Holding a 9–6 advantage entering the period, Centre looked in control early. Despite Rhodes striking first with a goal from Griffin Galloway, the Colonels responded with composure.
Ryan Black led the charge, scoring twice in the quarter—including a key finish off a feed from
Thomas Tyack—to help Centre maintain a multi-goal cushion. Even as Rhodes answered with goals from Andrew Murphy, Centre continued to stay one step ahead, keeping the Lynx at bay.
But Rhodes never let the game get out of reach.
With time winding down, the pressure began to mount. After earning a man-up opportunity, Galloway converted to pull Rhodes within one, setting up a tense final stretch. Centre had chances to close it out but couldn't find the insurance goal, and a late shot clock violation gave Rhodes one last opportunity. They made it count. With 1 second remaining in regulation, Galloway struck again—his fourth goal of the game—tying the score at 11 and completing the comeback. The late surge erased Centre's advantage and sent the game into overtime.
Overtime was brief and decisive.
Rhodes gained possession of the opening face-off, immediately putting Centre on the defensive. With control of the ball and a chance to end it, the Lynx executed quickly. Andrew Murphy found space and buried the game-winner off a setup from Gavin Nagle, completing the comeback and sealing the victory just under a minute into the extra period.
What had been a tightly contested battle throughout turned in the final moments, as Rhodes erased a late deficit in regulation and carried that momentum straight into overtime, to take the 12–11 win over Centre. The Colonels will now look for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament with the selection show scheduled for 9:00pm ET this Sunday on NCAA.com.
