Eagles Named 2023 AAC Tournament Champions!!
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Reinhardt
(13-4, 7-1)
|
5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 14 |
|
Cumberlands (KY)
(16-3, 7-1)
|
3 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 13 |
Team Stats
Cumberlands (KY)
| Game Statistics | Reinhardt | Cumberlands (KY) |
|---|---|---|
| Shots | 33 | 38 |
| Ground Balls | 48 | 38 |
| Saves | 17 | 12 |
| Clears | 22-26 | 19-26 |
| Turnovers | 15 | 15 |
| Draw Controls | 14 | 16 |
| Free Position Shots | 1-9 | 3-9 |
Waleska, GA – The Reinhardt Eagles hosted the AAC Tournament and earned the title as the 2023 AAC Women's Lacrosse Tournament Champions on Saturday afternoon. The Eagles were #2 seed heading into the tournament and matched up versus the #1 seed, the University of the Cumberlands. When the Eagles played them earlier this season, the Cumberlands Patriots took the game 17-16 in overtime. This game went similarly in the way it was a physical and competitive match-up but the Eagles got their revenge to win 14-13. Shelby O'Neil, Mia Griswold, and Jillian Mello were named to the AAC All-Tournament Team, while freshman goalie, Madison Hasty earned the AAC Tournament MVP.
Two minutes into the 1st quarter, Anna-Marie Gazzo was able to get the first point on the board for the Eagles. Then the Patriots answered with 3 quick goals to make the score 3-2 in favor of Cumberlands. The Eagles then, had 3 more goals of their own to end the 1st quarter up 5-3. Although the Patriots scored in the opening minutes of the 2ndquarter, they weren't able to get any more strikes to the net to head into halftime down 8-4. Coming out of the half, the Eagles continued to stretch their lead to 10-4. That was before the Patriots went on another run to close the point differential 11-9. The 4th quarter was tight and goal-for-goal but Reinhardt ultimately came out on top 14-13. Anna-Marie Gazzo played an outstanding game for her team with 6 goals, 1 assists. Defensively, Madison Hasty had 17 great saves to help her team to the victory. Also during this matchup, Macy Fulton scored her 100th career point.
Outstanding Performers:
- Anna-Marie Gazzo had 6 goals, while Kelsey Sowa and Shelby O'Neil each had 3 goals.
- Macy Fulton and Shelby O'Neil each had 2 assists.
- Shelby O'Neil, Kelsey Sowa, and Mia Griswold each had 3 draw controls.
- Mia Griswold forced the Patriots to 4 turnovers and Ashley Steele forced 3 turnovers and picked up the squad's high of ground-balls with 7.
- Madison Hasty was the winning goalie and tournament MVP with 17 saves.
Team Comparison:
Goals: 14-13 RU
Shots: 38-33 CU
Shots on Goals: 30-26 CU
Free Position Shots: 3-9 - 1-9 CU
Ground Balls: 48-38 RU
Saves: 17-12 RU
Draw Controls: 16-14 RU
Clears: 22-26 - 19-25 RU
Penalties: 4-4 T
Fouls: 31-26 RU
Turnovers: 15-15 T
Up Next: The Reinhardt Eagles will now make their way to the National Tournament, that will be played in Southfield, Michigan on May 3-6. The tournament bracket has not yet been released and times are TBA.