Give Them Six: Reinhardt Nets Another Men's Lacrosse Championship

WALESKA, Ga. - It was not easy, but top-seeded Reinhardt got the job done on Saturday as it defeated No. 3 seed Cumberlands 15-12 to win the 2022 Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Men's Lacrosse Tournament championship.

This is the Eagles' sixth tournament title in a row.

Cumberlands came out of the gate hot, scoring the game's first four goals. Thomas Fogarty found the back of the net twice in help the Patriots to a 4-0 lead with 7:18 left in the first quarter. Undetered, Reinhardt reeled off the next three goals to head into the second down 4-3.

The momentum shifted in the second. After Cumberlands took a 5-3 lead, Reinhardt went on a 6-0 run in claiming a 9-5 advantage. Dillan Bousquest scored twice and had an assist during the run, while Cameron Cochran had a goal and two assists. The Patriots kept things interesting by scoring the final goal of the half to make it 9-6 and opened the third with two more tallies to cut Reinhardt's lead to 9-8.

Play was tight the rest of the match. The Eagles grabbed a 13-10 lead early in the fourth, but back-to-back goals from Dawson Coltran pulled Cumberlands within 13-12 with 8:36 to play. Unfortunately for the Patriots, they could not complete the comeback as the Eagles added two insurance goals in the final 2:38 to seal the 15-12 victory and the tournament championship.

Reinhardt goalkeeper Liam Wright was named the Tournament MVP after recording 13 saves in the title game. Joining him on the All-Tournament Team are Bousquet, Matt Potvin, and JR Sess of Reinhardt; Coltran, Fogarty, and Jake Morgan of Cumberlands; Cam Provines and Cole George of Keiser; and Dylan Weaver and Connor Coleman of Tennessee Weselyan.

Cochran led Reinhardt offensively with four goals and three assists with Bousquet adding three goals and three assists. Coltran paced Cumberlands with four goals and an assist, while Fogarty had three goals and three assists.

By virtue of winning the tournament, Reinhardt receives an automatic berth to the NAIA National Championship Invitational, which is set for May 11-14 in Pensacola, Fla.

Here are the complete tournament results:

Friday, April 15 - at higher seed's home site
Game 1 - No. 3 Cumberlands def. No. 6 St. Andrews, 21-2 (BOX)
Game 2 - No. 4 Keiser def. No. 5 Webber International, 9-8 (BOX)

Friday, April 22 - at Reinhardt in Waleska, Ga.
Game 3 - No. 1 Reinhardt def. No. 4 Keiser, 12-8 (BOX)
Game 4 - No. 3 Cumberlands def. No. 2 Tennessee Wesleyan, 12-2 (BOX)

Saturday, April 23 - at Reinhardt in Waleska, Ga.
Game 5 - No. 1 Reinhardt def. No. 3 Cumberlands, 15-12 (Box)