MOUNT BERRY, Ga. - With the postseason looming, Viking men's lacrosse is poised to make a run at the Southern Athletic Association Tournament Championship as the 4 seed with a first-round game at home against 5-seeded Southwestern.
The Vikings won their regular season meeting at home against the Pirates, where they won 11-10 in miraculous fashion thanks to a final minute go-ahead goal from Ethan Perlakowski.
The Vikings are paced by a balanced attack that is driven by sophomore midfielder Finn McClendon, who has 27 goals and ten assists on the season. Joining him as key offensive weapons are Perlakowski and Joey Cuthbert, who have combined for a total of 47 points for Berry's attack this season.
On the defensive end, Tim Salisbury is an elite turnover generator, with 22 caused turnovers on the year to lead the Vikings. Expect Josip Brosovich, Jackson Kaeter, Ben Rosenbloom, and Sean Johnson to also make huge impacts defensively to guide the Viking defense to victory.
Standout freshman goalkeeper Jacob Briggs has stepped in as a key contributor as well. He had a season-high of 13 goals in Berry's first meeting against Southwestern. The Tampa, Florida, native must have another huge day in goal to help Berry to the semifinals.
The Vikings must be prepared for a high-paced offense from Southwestern that is manned by Keaten Cox and Cade McDonald, who combined for 7 points in their first meeting against the Vikings.
The winner of Saturday's game will travel to Memphis, Tennessee, to face number one seeded Rhodes College with a chance to advance to the championship game on the line.
The opening round game time between the Vikings and Pirates is set for 12 PM ET on April 26.
