Keiser, Reinhardt Set to Meet in Men's Lacrosse Tournament Title Game

MARIETTA, Ga. - Keiser and Reinhardt moved on to the Appalachian Athletic Conference Men's Lacrosse Tournament championship Friday at Lupo Family Field, but they took different paths to get there. The top-seeded Seahawks pulled away from No. 4 seed Cumberlands for a 19-9 win in the first semifinal, then No. 3 seed Reinhardt outlasted No. 2 seed SCAD Savannah 12-11 in triple overtime in the second semifinal. The results set up a Keiser-Reinhardt title game Saturday at 1 p.m. in Marietta, Ga.

Keiser seized control with a decisive second quarter after trailing 3-2 at the end of the first. Cumberlands got the opening goal from Johnny Simpson at the 5:18 mark of the first quarter, and Caden Abbott's late score with nine seconds left gave the Patriots a one-goal edge after one. That changed quickly when Marek Albiero scored a man-up goal just 16 seconds into the second quarter to start Keiser's surge. The Seahawks scored nine times in the quarter and carried an 11-6 lead into halftime, with Ryan Rundle scoring with 46 seconds left in the half to cap the run.

From there, Keiser's advantages across the field became more pronounced. The Seahawks won the faceoff battle 24-6, collected 47 ground balls to Cumberlands' 22, and finished with a 62-25 edge in shots. Rundle led Keiser with three goals and six assists, while Kegan Hufford and AJ Badik added three goals apiece. Cumberlands stayed within reach for stretches behind Nathan Cook, who scored five goals, including one early in the third quarter that made it 11-7. But Keiser answered throughout the second half, outscoring the Patriots 8-3 over the final two quarters and holding Cumberlands scoreless in the fourth.

The second semifinal was far tighter and extended deep into the evening. Reinhardt and SCAD Savannah were tied 3-3 after the first quarter, but SCAD built its best cushion in the second behind Mason Hickman. Hickman opened the scoring 42 seconds into the game and struck again during a second-quarter push that helped the Bees take an 8-4 halftime lead. Jonathan O'Bryant Graves added a second-quarter goal during that stretch, and SCAD still led 10-8 entering the fourth.

Reinhardt climbed back with sustained pressure in the second half. Benjamin Shackelford scored early in the third quarter to begin the rally, and Reid McDowell's man-up goal later in the quarter cut the deficit to 9-7. In the fourth, Joey Amatulli tied the game at 10-10 with 6:32 remaining, and Luke Greer put Reinhardt ahead 11-10 with 3:19 left. SCAD answered to force overtime, but Reinhardt finished the comeback in the third extra session when Shackelford scored the winner with 1:08 remaining for a 12-11 final.

Hickman delivered one of the day's top individual performances in defeat with seven goals and one assist for SCAD Savannah. Shackelford finished with three goals, including the game-winner, while Amatulli had two goals and four assists for Reinhardt. The Eagles also held small edges in faceoffs, 17-11, and ground balls, 36-29, in a game that was even on saves at 11 apiece. By day's end, the AAC semifinals had produced one runaway and one marathon, and the tournament now turns to Saturday's championship matchup between No. 1 seed Keiser and No. 3 seed Reinhardt.