GAME INFORMATION
Score: No. 9 Keiser 10, Tennessee Wesleyan 5
Records: No. 9 Keiser (5-5), Tennessee Wesleyan (3-7)
Location: Tennessee Wesleyan University – Athens, Tenn.

KU HIGHLIGHTS

• No. 9 Keiser rebounded from a defeat at No. 2 Reinhardt in a big way, improving to 5-5 on the season with a 10-5 victory.
• The Seahawks held a distinct advantage in shots for the game with 38 compared to Tennessee Wesleyan's 24, and Keiser was also able to put 22 of them on the frame of goal to challenge the TWU goalkeeper.
• Hunter East was a force to be reckoned with on the offensive end, and created numerous scoring opportunities before finishing with a hat-trick on a game-high 12 shots.
• Attacker Tyler Kalmowitz was the other Seahawk alongside East to have a multi-goal game, hitting the back of the net on two occasions.
• Brandon Benitez distributed the ball effectively and was credited with a game-high two assists.
• Dylan Sharpe was active in the midfield through the contest, and in addition to scoring a goal, he added a game-high seven ground balls and two caused TWU turnovers.
• Marco Olortegui had a solid all-around game between the posts for the Seahawks, making nine saves as the Keiser defense matched a season-low in goals allowed in the game.

 
TURNING POINT
Keiser held a slim advantage at 4-2 after the halftime whistle, but the Seahawks were able to make any necessary adjustments to go on to outscore the Bulldogs 4-1 in the third quarter to begin to pull away.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Ryan Johnson produced the game's opening goal and Kalmowitz had one of his own soon after, and the Seahawks led 2-0 with 7:38 on the clock in the first quarter.
• TWU converted on a man-up opportunity soon after Kalmowitz's finish, and the score remained 2-1 in favor of Keiser through the first 15 minutes of play.
• In the second quarter, a lone TWU goal was sandwiched between scores from East and Sharpe, and the Seahawks went into halftime with the 4-2 edge.
• Justin Stone got past the Bulldog defense to make it 5-2 Keiser early in the third quarter, but the hosts countered to put the score at 5-3 with 10:23 on the clock.
• The Seahawks controlled the play for the remainder of the third quarter with three unanswered goals, as East started the run on a man-up opportunity, John Senior got into the scoring action, and Waerness took a pass from Benitez to beat the keeper.
• Tennessee Wesleyan was the first to strike in the final period, but East responded by completing his hat trick on an unassisted goal with 10:18 still to play, Keiser leading 9-4.
• Both teams produced one more score as time dwindled down, with Kalmowitz's second of the game proving to be the final tally with 2:34 on the clock as the Seahawks claimed stake to the 10-5 result at the final whistle.

TEAM LEADERS
No. 9 Keiser
Points: East (3)
Goals: East (3)
Assists: Benitez (2)
Faceoff: Collins (10-of-18)
Ground Balls: Sharpe (7)
Caused Turnovers: Sharpe (2)
Saves: Olortegui (9)
 
Tennessee Wesleyan
Points: Steen (3)
Goals: Fearing (2)
Assists: Steen (2)
Faceoff: Simzisko (4-of-10)
Ground Balls: Fearing/Gonzalez (5)
Caused Turnovers: Sexton (1)
Saves: DeMoss (12)

Coach's Corner
"Tennessee Wesleyan is a scrappy team who plays hard every year," said Head Coach Patrick Johnston. "Our defense had some nice stops, and our offense created a lot of opportunities. We need to focus on fundamentals and keep getting better."

Up Next
The No. 9 Seahawks will next take the field at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 13 at SCAD-Savannah, who is currently ranked No. 6 in the NAIA. The two teams previously met during the 2019 season in West Palm Beach, with Keiser prevailing 16-7 on Saturday, February 16.