KANSAS CITY, Mo. – It's not quite the way they pictured it, but the eighth-ranked Madonna University men's lacrosse team got its wish - a chance to avenge last season's overtime loss in the title game against top-ranked Reinhardt (Ga.).

The Blue and Gold, who enter the tournament as the eighth seed, are looking to become the first eight seed to win a game at the invitational since its inception in 2016. A team who has struggled to find its identity at times, the Crusaders have had a chance to rest up and are excited to face the top-seeded Eagles.

"We are excited to be in the tournament for a second straight season," said Crusaders Head Coach Mike Walter. "We thought we'd be playing Reinhardt a little later in the tournament, but things didn't fall our way this year. We are ready to go though. We've had time to rest up and we are going to be fully healthy for the first time this season, it should be a good game."

The Crusaders and Eagles will be the third game of the day and are scheduled to square off at 4 p.m. EST at the Aquinas College soccer and lacrosse field in Grand Rapids, Mich. Live stats will be available here with video information below.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

• Reinhardt is the only team to appear in all of the invitationals and has won the last two titles
• No. 2 Indiana Tech and No. 7 Keiser (Fla.) are making their third appearances
• The Crusaders only meeting with Reinhardt was in last year's title game, an 8-7 loss in overtime

BY THE NUMBERS

• 1st: The Eagles lead the country in goal per game (19.23) and goals allowed per game (4.08)
• 4th/6th: Madonna ranks fourth in goals per game (13.93) and is tied for sixth in goals allowed per game (9.47)
• 4th/8th: The Crusaders are fourth in faceoff win percentage at .618 while Reinhardt is eighth at .570
• 11.53: Madonna leads the country in caused turnovers per game at 11.53 while Reinhardt tanks 15th (6.69)

STREAMING

• The NAIA Network — the associations' official video streaming home – will broadcast all games at the 2019 NAIA Men's and Women's Lacrosse Invitational. The video platform, powered by Stretch Internet, allows users access to live video, statistics, and social interaction on a number of devices, including mobile. Single day passes can be purchases for $9.95, while an all-tournament package is available for $14.95.

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