Women's Lacrosse Earns Historic Triumph Over No. 1 SCAD-Savannah (Ga.), 19-4

By Mike DeVader, Reinhardt Director of Athletic Communications & Media

Photo Courtesy of Greg Spell/G-RoxPhotos.com

SAVANNAH, Ga. – No. 5 Reinhardt accomplished something on Wednesday night that no NAIA team had done since the semifinals of NAIA Invitational back on May 6, 2016: beat No. 1 SCAD-Savannah (Ga.) in women's lacrosse.

The Eagles (5-1, 4-0 Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC)) earned a statement victory on the road by throttling the Bees on their home field, 19-4.

The triumph over the top-ranked team was the first of its kind in Reinhardt women's lacrosse history.

"We came with a winning mindset and executed our game against a solid SCAD team," head coach Roy Reynolds said. "While all played great, we had standout performances from our defensive unit led by a tremendous performance by Jessie Landers.

"The offense led by Morgan McGhee also shined, and I'm extremely proud of this team."

The Eagle offense flew out to a great start by putting up six-consecutive goals to open up a 6-0 advantage with 12:52 left in the first half. SCAD-Savannah would break its scoreless streak with a netted shot just over a minute later, but Reinhardt would respond with four goals out of the next five to stretch its lead to 10-2 with less than four minutes remaining until halftime.

The Bees would again strike quickly – but with only one goal – as the Eagles finished the period on a 2-0 run and a 12-3 cushion at the break.

Reinhardt would leave no doubt over the final 30 minutes of play, including starting fast once again with back-to-back scores in less than five minutes to open the second half. Now trailing, 14-3, SCAD-Savannah would earn its final goal of the night at 24:12, but then watched as the visitors soared away thanks to five more netted shots en route to the 19-4 final.

Jessie Landers was on fire in the net for the Eagles as she made 11 stops and only allowed four goals in 60 minutes of play.

Offensively, Morgan McGhee led all scorers with five goals (on eight shots) and an assist. Right behind her was Caroline Copenhaver and Shelby O'Neil with four scores apiece.

Not to be outdone, Anna-Marie Gazzo (3) and Brook Villhauer (2) also chipped in with multiple tallies in the positive outcome.

It all couldn't have been done if it wasn't for the effort on the defensive side, as the Eagles caused 10 turnovers and kept possession with 15 draw controls – six of which went to McGhee.

The team now looks ahead to a week of practice in preparations for another AAC contest against Montreat (N.C.) at home on March 31 at 4 p.m. 

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For more information on Reinhardt Women's Lacrosse, please click here.