Anderson Defeats Lenoir-Rhyne to Move on to National Semifinal

ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSAC.com) – The Anderson Trojans men's lacrosse team erased a three-goal first-quarter deficit and used a dominant defensive effort late to defeat the Lenoir-Rhyne Bears men's lacrosse, 9-7, in the NCAA Division II Men's Lacrosse Quarterfinals on Wednesday afternoon in Hickory, North Carolina.

Trailing 4-1 at the end of the opening quarter, Anderson slowly chipped away at the deficit behind a huge performance from Radyn Badraun. The Trojans scored four times in the second quarter, including back-to-back goals from Badraun in less than a minute to tie the game at 5-5 before halftime.

The Trojans took their first lead of the game just five seconds into the third quarter when Aiden Dixon found the back of the net off the opening faceoff. Lenoir-Rhyne answered with a pair of goals to reclaim a 7-6 advantage heading into the final period.

Anderson dominated the fourth quarter, holding the Bears scoreless over the final 15 minutes while Jacob Kirchhofer tied the game with 12:24 remaining before Badraun scored the go-ahead goal with 6:37 to play. Badraun added an empty-net insurance goal in the closing minute to seal the victory and complete his five-goal afternoon.

Badraun led the Trojans offensively with five goals on 14 shots, while Brayden Bushnoe, Dixon, Kirchhofer and Will Hazelhurst each added goals. Cole Sparks recorded an assist.

Defensively, Anderson goalkeeper Adin Laughlin was sensational, finishing with 25 saves as the Trojans withstood 53 shots from the Bears. Connor Neal added four ground balls and two caused turnovers in the win.

Lenoir-Rhyne was led by Morgan Madish's three goals, while Donovan Powell added two goals and an assist.

With the win, Anderson advances to the NCAA Division II National Semifinal and will face top-seeded Tampa Spartans men's lacrosse on Sunday in Tampa, Florida.