Rally falls short in double-overtime loss in NAIA Quarterfinals

Decatur, AL - Reinhardt Men's Lacrosse erased a six-goal fourth-quarter deficit Tuesday afternoon, but William Penn Statesmen escaped with a 12-11 sudden-death overtime victory when Kenny Bohney scored with 2:51 left in the second extra session at Jack Allen Complex in Decatur, Alabama. The loss knocks the Eagles out of the NAIA National Tournament and ends their 2026 campaign.

The Eagles appeared in control early. Luke Greer scored three times in the first quarter as Reinhardt built a 4-1 lead, opening the scoring at 11:56 and adding another at 8:21 off an assist from Zach Dixon. After Harley Williams got William Penn on the board late in the quarter, Reid McDowell answered with nine seconds left to send Reinhardt into the second quarter up three.

William Penn chipped away before halftime. Williams scored again at 9:14 of the second quarter, and Matt Scott tied the game 4-4 with 7:08 remaining. McDowell briefly restored the Eagles' lead at 4:32, but Lucas Cox scored with 1:09 left in the half to make it 5-5 at the break.

The turning point came in the third quarter, when William Penn surged in front with a six-goal period and carried an 11-5 lead into the fourth. Bohney scored 54 seconds into the half to give William Penn its first lead, and Everett Breniser followed at 11:45. Williams added a man-up goal at 10:14 off an assist from Breniser, and Bohney struck again at the horn to cap the run. William Penn finished with 12 goals and eight assists, while Bohney led the way with five goals. Scott added two goals and two assists, and Williams scored three times.

Reinhardt still had one more push. McDowell started the comeback just 34 seconds into the fourth quarter, Greer scored again at 11:31, and Benjamin Shackelford made it 11-8 with 5:07 left. Joey Amatulli scored with 2:55 remaining, Bennett Morrison followed 22 seconds later, and Rett Canon tied the game 11-11 with 1:48 to play as the Eagles closed the fourth on six straight goals. Greer finished with four goals and one assist, helping Reinhardt match William Penn with eight assists overall.

Reinhardt controlled much of the possession battle, winning 19 of 25 faceoffs and holding a 39-28 edge in ground balls. The Eagles also put 35 shots on goal compared with 27 for William Penn. But William Penn goalie Connor Russell turned aside 24 shots, a decisive number in a game where Reinhardt generated 48 total attempts. Reinhardt recorded 15 saves.

The first overtime ended scoreless before William Penn found the winner in the second. Matt Scott fed Bohney for the final goal, ending a game that swung dramatically from Reinhardt's fast start, to William Penn's nine-goal stretch across the middle quarters, to the Eagles' late charge. 

This wraps up the 2026 season for the Eagles, who end with a 9-5 record overall and 6-3 in conference play. The first season for new head coach, Trey Whittemore, was a successful one as he kept the team in the top five of the country and took the team to the AAC Championship game and another return trip to the NAIA Tournament. The team will look to add new pieces that will help add to the attack power of the Eagles and bolster the defense that will be losing NAIA All-American Zach Dixon, as well as other key pieces around the team.