Kennedy nets four as Lions down Young Harris on road

YOUNG HARRIS, Ga. - The Mars Hill men's lacrosse team (2-3) defeated Young Harris (0-6) by a score of 17-15 Saturday afternoon.

Mars Hill opened the contest on a 4-0 run with goals coming from George Yanssens, Trevor Kennedy, Brandon Woodward, and AJ Howland. They closed out the quarter leading 7-3 with Austin Stroud scoring the final three Mars Hill goals of the frame.

Both teams netted four apiece in the second quarter. Kennedy completed his hat-trick, scoring twice while Yanssens and Justin Lundy tallied the other two Lions' markers.

At the end of the third quarter, Young Harris closed the gap to two goals, outscoring Mars Hill 5-3 in the frame and trailing 14-12 after 45 minutes of play. Young Harris scored three man-up goals in the third while the Lions struck twice with the man advantage. Yanssens collected his hat-trick while Woodward and Cole Ross netted the other two Mars Hill goals in the stanza.

The teams scored three goals apiece in the final quarter of play with Woodward, Lundy, and Kennedy scoring Mars Hill's goals.

Stroud led all players with eight points (3g, 5a) followed by Kennedy's five points (4g, 1a). Woodward and Yanssens finished the contest with three goals while Lundy (2g) and Bo Bitzer (2a) added two points apiece. Howland led all players with eight ground balls.

Dylan Wilbur made 14 saves in the loss while Steven Smith stopped 15 shots for the win.

The Lions open South Atlantic Conference play on Wednesday, March 1 when they take on Lenoir-Rhyne on the road. The contest is set for a 7 p.m. start.