SAVANNAH, Ga. – The No. 7-seeded Madonna University men's lacrosse team upset No. 2-seeded Reinhardt University (Ga.), 14–8, in the inaugural NAIA Men's Lacrosse National Tournament quarterfinals. Coming into the matchup, Reinhardt led the all-time series 6–0, but the Crusaders broke through with a decisive victory to advance to the semifinals.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
To start the Crusaders' first national tournament game since 2019, Reinhardt struck first, scoring twice in the opening five minutes to take a 2–0 lead. Madonna answered at the 6:26 mark when
Jackson Gradstein netted an unassisted goal to put the Crusaders on the board. Less than 90 seconds later, senior
Nick Bryden converted a man-up opportunity to even the score at 2–2.
Early in the second quarter, Bryden added another man-up goal to give Madonna its first lead, 3–2. At the 7:56 mark, the NAIA's second-leading scorer,
Benjamin Reidy, extended the advantage with his first goal of the contest.
Minutes later,
Zachary Lane, Madonna's all-time assists leader, set up
Carter Borsos for a finish in front of the cage, giving the Crusaders a 5–2 halftime edge.
Coming out of halftime, Borsos scored his second goal of the game off an assist from
Shane Alexander. The Eagles then showed why they were the No. 2 seed in the tournament, going on a 4–1 run that cut the Madonna lead to one at 7–6 with 3:23 remaining in the quarter.
The Crusaders responded to the Eagles' run with a 3–0 run of their own. Gradstein,
Danny Smith, and Joey Van Gothem each scored to shift the momentum back to Madonna.
The Crusaders carried that momentum into the fourth, adding three goals in a four-minute span to extend the margin to 13–7. Both sides exchanged late scores, and Madonna secured the biggest upset in tournament history with a 14–8 final.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
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Madonna is the first No. 7 seed to advance to the NAIA semifinals
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Borsos, Bryden, and Gradstein each recorded hat tricks
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Smith tallied two points, three caused turnovers, and three ground balls
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DeMario Williams led the defense with four caused turnovers, six ground balls, and one assist
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Blazej Cimochowski won 13 of 19 faceoffs
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The Crusaders converted 23 of 25 clear attempts
UP NEXT:
The Crusaders will face the No. 3-seeded Patriots from the University of the Cumberlands (Ky.) tomorrow night, May 9, at 6:00 p.m.
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