Keiser ends Reinhardt’s season in NAIA quarterfinals, 17-7

Decatur, AL. - Reinhardt saw its NAIA Women's Lacrosse National Tournament run end Monday afternoon, falling to Keiser 17-7 in the quarterfinals at the Jack Allen Complex in Decatur, Alabama. The decisive stretch came in the third quarter, when Keiser turned a one-goal halftime edge into control of the match by outscoring the Eagles 7-1.

The Eagles opened sharply and briefly dictated the pace. Mary Grace Lewis scored at 11:15 of the first quarter for the game's opening goal, and Lainey Byrne put Reinhardt back in front 3-2 with 2:32 left in the quarter off an assist from Miranda Petrillo. Izzy Prestia then extended the lead to 4-2 at the 5:29 mark of the second quarter on a setup from Hayley Rakestraw. Keiser answered before halftime, though, getting two goals from Milena Isturiz in the second quarter and a man-up goal from Emily Ferris with 43 seconds left to take a 5-4 lead into the break.

That one-goal margin quickly widened after halftime. MacKenzie Gibaud scored just 1:04 into the third quarter off an assist from Jia Schweigert, and Schweigert added a power-play goal at 10:02 as Keiser began to pull away. Isturiz scored again during the surge, and Schweigert struck late in the quarter to make it 12-5. By the end of the period, Keiser had seized the game with its seven-goal quarter, pairing efficient finishing with control of possession.

Reinhardt was led by Rakestraw, who finished with one goal and three assists, while Prestia scored twice. The Eagles generated only 14 shots, with 10 on goal, but did convert two free-position chances and two power-play opportunities. Madison Hasty kept Reinhardt within reach for stretches with 12 saves over 60 minutes in goal against Keiser's 29 shots on target.

Keiser finished with advantages in shots, 37-14, ground balls, 21-12, and draw controls, 18-8. Schweigert paced the Seahawks with four goals and two assists, Gibaud added three goals and four assists, and Isturiz scored three times. Raelyn Boutwell made three saves for Keiser, which closed the game with five fourth-quarter goals. Reinhardt got fourth-quarter goals from Rakestraw on a free-position man-up chance and Prestia on another man-up finish off Rakestraw's assist, but the Eagles could not trim the deficit further.

The loss closed a strong season for Reinhardt under first-year head coach Morgan McGhee. The Eagles reached the national quarterfinals and also collected major postseason recognition, with Skylar Arroyave earning NAIA first-team All-America honors and AAC Defender of the Year, Emma Perritte named a second-team All-American, and Lawna Henry selected to the third team. Reinhardt also placed five players on the AAC first team and two on the second team, providing a wider measure of the season the program put together despite Monday's result.