ANDERSON, S.C.--The No. 5 Trojans (6-0) defeated the No. 2 Spartans in a thrilling 14-13 overtime contest on Saturday afternoon, earning the biggest win in Anderson Men's Lacrosse history. The victory comes against the undefeated reigning National Runners-Up, No. 2 University of Tampa, in the first-ever Top-5 matchup across all of Anderson Athletics.
"What an incredible lacrosse game," said Head Coach Albert Mitchell. "All the respect in the world for Tampa—that was a heavyweight slugfest that went 10 rounds. I was really proud of the team's toughness to step up in big moments. We're looking forward to building off of this one and getting the next one."
The scoreline was close from the opening whistle, seeing seven ties through four quarters and being 6-6 at halftime and 13-13 at the final whistle. Neither side ever had more than a two-goal lead.
Brodie Deutsch (Wilmington, N.C.) and Matthew Rodgers (Carmel, Ind.) gave the Trojans a 2-0 lead to start the match. Deutsch also assisted Ryan Butch (Alpharetta, Ga.) in Q1. AU won the opening 15 by a score of 3-2.
The Spartans scored twice to open the second quarter and earned their first lead of the game. Brayden Bushnoe (Myrtle Beach, S.C.), Radyn Badraun (Mission Viejo, Calif.) and Cole Sparks (West Islip, N.Y.) all got on the board in Q2, and the game was tied 6-6 going into the break.
The second half started with Ryan Bitterman (Alpharetta, Ga.) connecting off a pass from Rodgers to capitalize on an AU EMO opportunity and retake a slight lead. The visitors answered, scoring three-straight to take back the advantage. Rogers scored the final goal of Q3, and the game favored Tampa 9-8 going into the final 15.
AJ Rush (Chantilly, Va.) then wasted no time, winning at the X and driving to goal to score in the first 12 seconds of Q4. Two more from Badraun, one from Bitterman, and one from Sammy Lewis (Maple Grove, Minn.) saw the Trojans go up by two with less than three minutes to play. The Spartans proved themselves as one of the best opponents in the country, however, tying the game at 13 with just seven seconds left on the clock.
For the first time since last season's SAC Quarterfinal victory over Lenoir-Rhyne, the Trojans faced a sudden death overtime period. Aiden Dixon (Forest Hill, Md.) earned his 8th win at the X, securing possession for the Black and Gold. Just over a minute into OT, Sparks connected with Bushnoe who sealed the deal for the home team. Bushnoe is no stranger to golden goals—he also secured an overtime win for Anderson in his freshman year (2023) against Limestone.
Anderson won 14-13 to remain undefeated and handed No. 2 Tampa their first loss since the 2025 National Championship.
Along with the scoreline, the Trojans and Spartans were nearly even across all statistical categories. Both sides logged 42 shots, with 26 coming on frame for Tampa compared to 21 from Anderson. The Trojans collected 37 groundballs, won 16 faceoffs and completed 19 of 21 clears successfully. The Spartans collected 33 groundballs, won 15 faceoffs, and completed 21 of 24 clears successfully.
The Trojans will close out non-conference play at Emmanuel on Thursday (March 12) and return home next Wednesday (March 18) to host No. 4 Wingate.
