Reinhardt Rolls Past Columbia Behind Morrison’s Six-Goal Night

WALESKA, Ga. - Reinhardt raced out early and never let up Thursday, defeating the Koalas of Columbia College 27-2 behind a balanced offensive performance led by Bennett Morrison's six goals and one assist.

The Eagles took control from the opening quarter and outscored Columbia in every quarter, building a 5-0 lead after the first, extending it to 14-0 by halftime, and pushing the margin to 22-0 through three quarters. Nolan Marsh added three goals and four assists, Joey Amatulli finished with three goals and three assists, and Benjamin Shackelford contributed two goals and three assists for Reinhardt.

Shackelford opened the scoring at the 9:33 mark of the first quarter, and Luke Greer made it 2-0 less than two minutes later. Marsh's goal with 3:44 left in the quarter capped the early surge and sent Reinhardt into the second quarter with a five-goal cushion. The Eagles then broke the game open in the second, getting an early goal from Greer at 13:33 and reaching double digits when Shackelford scored off an Amatulli assist with 8:48 remaining.

Morrison helped set the tone again after the break, scoring just 47 seconds into the third quarter for a 15-0 lead. Reid McDowell and Austin Scales also found the net during the period as Reinhardt added eight more goals. By the time Alex Mabrey scored at 12:08 of the fourth quarter for a 23-0 lead, the outcome had long been decided.

Reinhardt's edge showed up across the stat sheet. The Eagles finished with 54 shots to Columbia's 16, held a 36-10 advantage in shots on goal, won 27 faceoffs, and collected 40 ground balls. Scales dominated at the faceoff spot, winning 22 draws and adding 15 ground balls with a goal. Reinhardt's goalkeepers combined for eight saves, while Columbia recorded nine saves.

Columbia broke through in the fourth quarter on goals from Tanner Kuykendall at 6:25 and Noah Norwood with 17 seconds remaining. By then, Reinhardt had already turned the match into a runaway, finishing off a 27-goal performance on its home field with Morrison and the Eagles in command from the opening minutes.

The Eagles will be on the road this weekend in Savannah to take on the SCAD Bees. The game is scheduled for 12 pm.