Skyhawks Drop Last Regular Season Matchup to Tennessee Wesleyan 16-9

ATHENS, Tenn. – The Point University Skyhawks spent all of regulation trailing on Saturday afternoon after the Tennessee Wesleyan University Bulldogs opened with six first-quarter goals and went on to hand the Skyhawks a 16-9 loss at the TWU Athletic Complex.

Tennessee Wesleyan scored first at 12:19 on Reece Ringer's opener, added a goal from Micah Decloedt less than a minute later, and kept building from there. A man-up finish by Colton Winsick at 9:47 pushed the lead to 4-0, and Winsick struck again with 2:49 left in the first quarter.

The Skyhawks found their footing in the second quarter. Zachary Covey got Point on the board at 11:37 off an assist from Shaun McLaughlin, and McLaughlin followed with a goal of his own to reduce the margin to 7-2. Malyke Sillers then scored a man-up goal with 2:30 left in the half, assisted by Carlos Thompson, but Tennessee Wesleyan still carried a 10-4 lead into halftime.

Point made its best push in the third quarter. After Tennessee Wesleyan extended the lead to 11-4, McLaughlin scored at 6:32 to start a response, and Sillers added a man-up goal at 3:08, again with Thompson assisting. Sillers scored once more at 1:49 to cut the Skyhawks' deficit to 12-7, but Tennessee Wesleyan answered before the horn when Madden Leslie scored with three seconds left in the quarter, restoring a seven-goal cushion at 14-7.

Sillers led Point with five goals on 11 shots and eight shots on goal, including three man-up scores. McLaughlin finished with two goals and three assists, contributing to five of the team's nine goals. Point generated 41 shots and put 25 on frame, but Tennessee Wesleyan goalkeeper Jack Shaw stopped 16 attempts. Whitman Prewitt made 13 saves for the Skyhawks against 29 shots on goal.

Tennessee Wesleyan also controlled several of the possession numbers, winning the faceoff battle 19-9 and finishing with a 41-32 edge in ground balls. The Bulldogs were led by Ringer's four goals, while Leslie had three goals and two assists and Jack Driscoll added four assists. Point's late chances produced one more goal when Sillers converted a man-up opportunity with 12 seconds remaining, with McLaughlin picking up the assist for the final 16-9 margin.