MONTEVALLO, Ala. – Montevallo men's lacrosse is set to host the 2024 Peach Belt Conference Tournament scheduled for May 3 and May 5 with the Falcons facing off with fourth-seeded Flagler in the semifinals.
 
The conference tournament consists of four teams with Montevallo, Lander, Alabama Huntsville, and Flagler entering the PBC postseason. The tournament will feature two rounds of competition with the semifinal games played on Friday, May 3 with the Championship game set for Sunday, May 5.
 
The Falcons closed the regular season with a 9-5 overall record and a 3-1 mark in conference play with Montevallo making history in the second game of the season. In a 19-18 overtime win over No. 7 Florida Southern, the Falcons recorded the program's first ranked victory as well as the first true road win in the state of Florida. Montevallo struggled a bit on the road this season with a 5-4 mark away from home while the Falcons fell just once at home in a 13-6 loss to No. 9 UIndy in the first game of the season. The Falcons closed the non-conference schedule with a 6-4 record before opening conference play with a 19-16 win over defending PBC champs Lander before moving to 2-0 with a 23-9 win over Shorter. Montevallo added a 15-8 home win over in-state rival Alabama Huntsville to move to 3-0 in conference play and secure the 2024 PBC regular season title before closing the season on the road at Flagler. The Falcons fell, 14-13, in an overtime effort against the Saints on April 27.
 
The Falcons will look to avenge the loss to Flagler in the first round of the tournament after falling in an overtime game just under a week ago.
 
"I think our team is excited and encouraged to have the opportunity for a rematch here at, on our campus," said Head Coach Jason Lange. "The game is going to be intense. It was intense on Saturday. It's going to be intense again on Friday afternoon here."
 
Despite the regular season ending in a heartbreaking loss, the Falcons head into the tournament with the advantage of playing in Montevallo, Ala. With the Gulf South Conference Track and Field Championships held on Montevallo's campus, the PBC tournament will be held on Varsity Soccer Field but Lange believes that the site will have its own set of advantages for the Falcons.
 
"I actually think it kind of gives us an advantage because the grass is pristine up there and hasn't been touched. It looks great. So, I think that gives us a little bit of an advantage there… I think the advantage lies in the fact that, you know, we're able to practice up there this week and kind of get used to the sight lines and get used to the surface."
 
The Falcons enter the postseason with the top offense in the conference with an average of 16.29 goals per game while adding 10.29 assists per game. Montevallo's attack is spearheaded by Trevayne Hunter with a team-leading 61 points on 23 goals and 38 assists while Matthew Boas leads the Falcons with 33 goals and 13 assists for total of 46 points. Zach Laberge, Jackson Klewchuk and Jacob Obee have eached eclipsed 20 goals on the season to round out the Falcons' balanced attack.
 
"If you look at our stat line throughout the course of the year, I think this year more so than ever, we've been quite a balanced group on the offensive side. We say that a lot it's going to be your turn. It's going to be your turn. Obviously, our seniors, you know, we expect them to lead and play well and play hard but, as far as like the scoring goes, it could be anybody. It truly could," said Lange.
 
Lange believes the senior-heavy Falcon squad has the experience to make this tournament one to remember but the Falcons faced the sting of defeat a season ago.
 
"Our seniors are the guys that are going to carry on the experience that they've had. Thankfully, you know, these seniors have had the opportunity to play in two conference championship games. The first one was when they were freshmen and then again as sophomores. They felt the disappointment last year of being knocked out of the conference tournament in the semifinals. So, I think there'll be a little desperation on our side."
 
Much like the tournaments of the past, this championship features a pair of rematches from the regular season. The Falcons will take on the Saints after falling in overtime during the regular season while Alabama Huntsville rematches with Lander after another overtime performance in the regular season. The 2024 PBC Tournament semifinals will showcase the high-level lacrosse that is played in the PBC.
 
"The cool thing about the tournament is our game against Flagler was an overtime game and the second game, Huntsville and Lander, was an overtime game earlier in the year. I think you're going to get two really high-quality lacrosse games on Friday," said Lange.
 
As mentioned above, the PBC tournament will feature a semifinal round and a championship game with all games played on Varsity Soccer Field on the campus of the University of Montevallo. The semifinals are set to begin at 4 p.m. on Friday, May 3 with Montevallo taking on Flagler followed by a meeting between Alabama Huntsville and Lander set for 7 p.m. Friday night. The championship game will feature the winners of both semifinal games on Sunday, May 5 at 1 p.m. also on Varsity Soccer Field.
 
Each game will be streamed to the Peach Belt Sports Network with live stats provided on the Montevallo Falcons web page. Links to both as well as ticketing can be found here.