GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Back in action at Armfield just a few days after their first win of the season, the men's lacrosse team squared off against Methodist University. A six-goal period proved to be the difference, as the Quakers dispatched the Monarchs 14-9.

GC moves to 2-1, while MU drops their third straight to open their season at 0-3.

In his second straight start, goalie Darius Safavi-Abbassi (Culver City, Calif.) made ten saves on the day, with a save percentage of .526. Monarch goalie Gabe Russell gave up eight through two periods, forcing a change in net halfway through. Jackson Bulkin fared slightly better in the latter stanzas, having a save percentage of . 538, but allowing six scores. 

Jax Atkins (Mechanicsville, Va.) continued his dominance on the faceoffs, tallying a 62% win percentage against opposing specialists Kaleb Simpson and Graham Clausen. Quakers Landon Trail (Roanoke, Va.) and Ezekiel Gravley (Morganton, N.C.) had three ground balls each. 

In scoring, multiple players got in on scoring, six in total. Gavin Brown (Charleston, S.C.) was the best out of the bunch, scoring three goals, and tallying two assists in an overall fine performance. Seth Woods (Hilton Head Island, S.C.) accounted for two scores and assists.

For the visitors, Mark Chatt had the team's best performance, bagging two scores and dishing the ball for two assists. 

Two goals from Chatt in the first period gave the Monarchs the early lead, just five minutes in. Dirk Meinhart (Garfield, Ky.) got the Quakers on the scoreboard with his third goal of the season, and Gabe Alvarez (Cary, N.C.) accompanied him not long after to swiftly tie the game up at two apiece. After the seven-minute mark, back-to-back solo scores from Brown put Guilford into the 4-2 lead. Brown was lively in the buildup for Guilford's fifth score of the quarter, forcing the turnover, and working with Alvarez to set up Nick Honkomp (Rolesville, N.C.) for the score, three minutes later. Alvarez then took matters into his own hands, scoring unassisted to make the Quakers' lead four, as the game transitioned into the second. 

Things looked to get out of hand quickly for the visitors, as the constant pressure from GC led to two more scores to pad their lead to six. Bashwyn Fitch (Charleston, S.C.) with goal number seven, and Brown with yet another ball through the net, as Guilford led 8-2. Methodist slowly began to crawl their way back, building momentum towards halftime with two scores of their own, as the teams headed into intermission. GC led MU, 8-4.

Sloppy play to begin the third from the home team proved costly, as the Monarchs got back within two scores, after scoring twice in six minutes. The Quakers regrouped, and got the reply they needed. Just a minute later, Meinhart restored normalcy with his second goal, making the lead 9-6. Celebrations were short-lived, MU replied right back, forcing Abbassi into trouble, eventually scoring to make the score 9-7 in favor of the Quakers. Penalties began to trouble Guilford shortly after, but the defense held firm, and got back to even men. Andrew Burch (Cary, N.C.) joined the action with his first score, elevating Guilford into double digits. Heading into the fourth, GC led 10-7.

At this point, the Quakers were in full control, highlighted by Fitch's second score to boost their lead to four once more. An eighth score from Methodist was met with back to back Guilford goals, as they iced the contest, winning by the comfortable five-goal margin, 14-9. 

Continuing their opening homestand, Guilford welcomes Pfeiffer to the confines of Armfield Athletic Center for a night contest on Wednesday, February 28. First faceoff is set for 6:00 p.m.