SALISBURY, N.C. — The No. 17 Newberry men's lacrosse team opened South Atlantic Conference play with a statement victory on Wednesday night, defeating No. 16 Catawba 15–11 on the road. The Wolves (5-2, 1-0 SAC) set the tone early, scoring six goals in the first quarter to take control of the contest. Newberry continued its offensive momentum in the second quarter and carried a 9–6 lead into halftime. The Wolves added four goals in the third quarter to extend their advantage before holding off a late push from Catawba (4-1, 0-1 SAC) to secure the ranked conference victory.

Matthew Burt and Gage Vigar both finished with four goals and one assist for five points apiece, powering the Newberry offense. Bradley David contributed one goal and three assists, while Liam Vollans added two goals and one assist. Ace Nichols, Ian Jackson, Mason Carfello, and Scott Williams each recorded a goal to round out the balanced scoring attack.

Newberry controlled possession throughout the game, winning 21 of 28 faceoffs and dominating the ground ball battle 44–28. Houston Horton led the Wolves at the faceoff X, winning 13 of 16 draws while collecting six ground balls, while Colby Rogers added eight faceoff wins.

Defensively, Ryan Morrison led Newberry with six ground balls and four caused turnovers, and Nick Del Grosso also collected six ground balls. In goal, the Wolves recorded 12 saves while holding Catawba scoreless on all four extra-man opportunities. Newberry finished the contest with 33 shots and 22 shots on goal while successfully clearing the ball 18 of 23 times.

The Wolves return to action on Saturday, March 7, when they travel to Hickory, N.C., to face Lenoir-Rhyne in another South Atlantic Conference matchup scheduled for 4:00 p.m.