CARY, N.C. – The William Peace men's lacrosse team secured their first win of the season with a thrilling 15-13 victory over Randolph at home. A dominant third quarter and performances from Quinn Acree and William English lifted the Pacers past the Wildcats in a back-and-forth battle. 

"Good effort today from the boys, a quick turnaround from our Monday game and they locked-in to get the win!"  WPU Head Coach Troy Humphrey said. "Quinn and William really dominated from the midfield position, they controlled the game; and that's a good thing, because we can't continue to have six or seven penalties a game and expect to win. On to conference play!"

The game opened with both teams exchanging early goals, as Randolph jumped out to a 2-0 lead before Jamar Bell and Acree responded to even the score. The Wildcats went ahead 4-3 by the end of the first quarter.

In the second quarter, the Pacers battled back behind the sharpshooting of Acree, who recorded two more goals, while English notched his first of the day to give William Peace the lead. However, Randolph struck late to send the teams into halftime tied at 7-7.

The third quarter proved to be the turning point as the Pacers exploded for seven goals, outscoring Randolph 7-4 in the quarter. English set the tone with a quick goal, followed by goals from Zach Fields, Caleb Trahan, and another finish from Acree. William Peace closed the quarter with two rapid-fire goals from English and Bell, securing a 14-11 advantage.

Randolph fought back in the fourth, scoring twice to pull the visitors within one. But the Pacers' defense held firm, and English delivered his fourth goal of the game at the 4:43 mark, sealing the 15-13 victory.

Acree led the charge for William Peace with five goals and an assist, while English finished with four goals and two assists. Fields and Bell each added two goals, and Trahan and Cullen Hunt contributed one apiece. On the defensive end, the Pacers controlled the ground ball battle (31-25) and faceoff circle (18-11), helping them maintain possession in key moments.

With the win, William Peace improves to 2-2 on the season and will look to carry this momentum going into conference play this Saturday.