Reinhardt Falls in Second Half Surge by Cumberlands in AAC Championship

Waleska, GA - Reinhardt Women's Lacrosse dropped a 15-4 lacrosse decision to Cumberlands on Saturday at Ken White Stadium in the AAC Championship game. The Patriots seized control early and widened the gap with a 9-2 second-half advantage. The decisive stretch came after halftime, when Reinhardt trimmed the margin to three on Izzy Prestia's goal early in the third quarter, only to see Cumberlands answer and continue to build separation the rest of the way.

Cumberlands led 3-0 after the first quarter and 6-2 at halftime. Lenora DeVries opened the scoring at the 6:27 mark of the first, and Ashlee Baker followed with two goals in the final four minutes of the quarter, including one off an assist from Anna Lobbezoo. Baker struck again early in the second quarter to make it 4-0 before Chelbi McElwaney put Reinhardt on the board with 6:41 left in the half. The Eagles added another second-quarter goal, but Allison Joines scored with 1:13 remaining before the break to send Cumberlands into halftime with a four-goal cushion.

Reinhardt showed some life at the start of the third quarter when Prestia scored at 12:11 to cut the deficit to 6-3. That was as close as the Eagles would get. Emma Rittman answered with a free-position goal for Cumberlands less than two minutes later, and Baker added another free-position score at 2:33. Joines then scored with 17 seconds left in the quarter, pushing the Patriots' lead to 10-3 entering the fourth.

McElwaney finished with two goals to lead Reinhardt, accounting for half of the team's scoring. The Eagles' other goals came from Prestia, and one additional scorer was reflected in the team total. Reinhardt finished with four goals on 19 shots, including 12 shots on goal, and recorded one assist. The Eagles also collected 16 ground balls and nine draw controls, but 23 turnovers limited their ability to sustain pressure.

In goal, Madison Hasty kept Reinhardt in the game for stretches with 12 saves over 60 minutes. Cumberlands goalkeeper Mikayla Kimsey played the full match as well and stopped eight shots while allowing four goals. Reinhardt's final goal came from McElwaney with 6:26 left in the fourth quarter, trimming the score to 11-4, but Lobbezoo and Baker helped close out the scoring as Cumberlands finished on a 4-0 run to seal the 15-4 result.

The Eagles will now wait to see where they fall in the NAIA National Tournament bracket, which is scheduled to be released on May 4th on the NAIA's YouTube channel.  The tournament is set to be held in Decatur, Alabama, May 11th - 14th at Jack Allen Sports Complex.

Congratulations to the Eagles' AAC All-Tournament Team Selections:
• Madison Hasty
• Emma Perritte
• Izzy Prestia