Eagles Lose Lead in AAC Semifinal

WILLIAMSBURG, Ky. - To say the AAC is a loaded conference in NAIA Men's Lacrosse is an understatement. When you have four of the NAIA Top Ten teams in the country in your own conference, you know that your conference season schedule and tournament are going to be a battle.

The Eagles did the first part of winning the regular season just fine by beating teams like Webber, Cumberlands, Keiser, and Tennessee Wesleyan to win the AAC regular season title.  This title secures their spot in the NAIA National Tournament - which Reinhardt has won the past five straight seasons. When you win five straight, the proverbial target on your back gets larger and larger every year.  Even with this, the Eagles have held strong and only had one loss this season to the highly-ranked Indiana Tech team that was visiting Ken White Field at the right time.  After this loss, the Eagles went on a run that would make all the past members of the five straight title teams proud.

The Eagles will have to make another run like this if they are going to pull off their sixth straight title and it will happen May 10th - 13th in Pensacola, Florida. They will miss out on the AAC Championship game where Cumberlands will face Keiser University, but they will find out what spot they will have this Sunday.

In the semifinal match with Cumberlands, the Eagles led the entire game until about six minutes left in the fourth quarter, when the offense for Reinhardt went stone cold. The Patriots of Cumberlands went on a tear in the final six minutes where they would score five goals, which was unanswered by the Eagles.

Brady Hanak would lead the Eagles in this game, which he has often done this season. He had four goals in the game including the final two goals before Cumberlands went on their final streak. Joining Hanak with the goals was JR Sess with 3 goals, Stefan Duckett with 2 goals. Cameron Cochran and Wyatt Maddox each put in one goal for the Eagles.

The Eagles will have to sit at home while the AAC Championship game is played which is very unfamiliar territory for them, but they will have time to regroup and start focusing on the remainder of the postseason and their pathway to another NAIA Title. The time should allow for the Eagles to rest and heal up before they play again.

Stay tuned to www.reinhardteagles.com and www.AACsports.com for the most up-to-date information on the NAIA Men's Lacrosse Tournament.