DAVENPORT, Iowa — Missouri Baptist University men's lacrosse saw its 2025 season come to a close on Wednesday evening with a 13-8 loss to Saint Ambrose University in the Heart of America Conference Tournament Semifinals.
Under first year head coach Kelly Howell, the Spartans wrapped up the campaign with a 7-8 overall record.
Joe Busselman led MBU with three goals and added three ground balls. Caleb Tant tallied two goals, one assist, and two ground balls. Matthew Lash contributed one goal and two assists, while Caleb Ward and Drew Chiodini each netted one goal.
Saint Ambrose outshot Missouri Baptist 50-33 and committed 17 turnovers, while the Spartans gave the ball away 35 times.
The Bees opened the game with four unanswered goals before Chiodini put MBU on the board late in the first quarter. SAU responded with two more goals to extend its lead to 6-1, but Busselman answered with his first score of the night to cut the deficit to four.
After trading goals to make it 7-3, the Bees added another before halftime to take an 8-3 advantage into the break.
SAU struck first in the third quarter with three straight goals, but the Spartans battled back with a 3-0 run of their own, highlighted by two goals from Tant, trimming the lead to 10-6.
Despite the push, the Bees maintained control in the final quarter and secured a spot in the championship game with the 13-8 win.
