Greer, Garrison Fuel Reinhardt in Win Over Cumberlands

Waleska, Ga. — A seven-goal fourth quarter broke the game open as #4 Reinhardt Men's Lacrosse pulled away for a 13-5 win over #6 Cumberlands on Thursday afternoon behind a six-point outing from Luke Greer.

The Eagles led just 6-3 early in the fourth before igniting a decisive surge that featured four goals from Greer and steady two-way play across the field. Greer finished with 4 goals and 2 assists on 12 shots to pace Reinhardt's attack, while goalie Michael Scoleri anchored the defense with 10 saves over 64 minutes.

Reinhardt controlled the tempo from the start, jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the first quarter on a pair of goals from Carter Garrison, including one assisted by Greer in the final 90 seconds of the frame. After Cumberlands' Nathan Cook cut the deficit to 2-1 midway through the second quarter, Benjamin Shackelford answered with 31 seconds left in the half to send the Eagles into the break with a 3-1 advantage.

The Eagles methodically extended that lead in the third quarter. Bennett Morrison opened the second-half scoring at the 11:00 mark off a feed from Greer, and after Cumberlands' Sid Stewart responded to make it 4-2, Garrison added his third of the day with 4:11 remaining in the quarter. Marshall Cisco pushed the margin to 6-2 in the final minute of the third, finishing a pass from Joey Amatulli to give Reinhardt a four-goal cushion entering the final 15 minutes.

Cumberlands' Will Rogers, who led the Patriots with 2 goals and 2 assists, briefly pulled his team within 6-3 early in the fourth quarter. Reinhardt answered immediately and decisively. Morrison's second goal ignited the fourth-quarter onslaught, followed by tallies from Greer, Shackelford, and Greer again as the Eagles built a 10-3 lead with just over seven minutes to play. After a reply from Cumberlands' Brody Hermann, Greer struck for his fourth goal, assisted by Shackelford, to make it 11-4 before Rogers added his second for the Patriots.

Greer's final marker at 1:52 and a last-second goal from Rett Canon with three seconds remaining capped the Eagles' seven-goal quarter and closed out the scoring at 13-5. Garrison finished with 3 goals, Morrison added 2, and Shackelford chipped in 2 goals in support of Reinhardt's balanced offensive effort. Amatulli registered multiple key feeds during the late run, including assists on goals by Cisco, Greer, and Shackelford.

Defender Holden Whitecliffe led the Eagles with 7 ground balls, followed closely by Austin Scaless' 5 ground balls, and Alex Mabry's four.  Chase Bond led the Eagles' defense with 6 caused turnovers.

Reinhardt outshot Cumberlands 39-29 and placed 26 shots on goal to the Patriots' 15. The Eagles also held edges in faceoffs (12-9) and ground balls (28-20), helping them control possession and sustain pressure, particularly in the fourth quarter. Cumberlands goalie Nathan Foskey tallied 13 saves in the loss.

Next up for the Eagles is a matchup with Tennessee Wesleyan at Ken White Field on Saturday, March 21st.  This will be another AAC game for the Eagles.