Madonna University Athletics

DECATUR, Ala.-- Madonna erased a three-goal first-quarter deficit with an eight-goal second quarter and pulled away for a 19-7 win over William Penn (IA) on Thursday at the Jack Allen Complex in Decatur, Alabama. The decisive turn came in the second quarter, when Ryan Davis scored the tying goal at 8:44, then put the Crusaders in front for good at 5:27 as Madonna transformed a 3-0 hole into an 8-4 halftime lead.

William Penn controlled the opening quarter, getting goals from Blake Cyboron at 11:08, Kenny Bohney at 10:19 and Matt Scott at 3:15 for a 3-0 advantage. Madonna answered quickly in the second. Benjamin Reidy started the surge at 11:50, Owen Barker made it 3-2 at 9:13, and Davis tied the match less than 30 seconds later. After Davis gave Madonna its first lead, Vincent Palumbo, Cooper Regimbal, Matthew DiSalle and Davis again scored in a closing run that sent the Crusaders into the break up by four.

Madonna broke the game open in the third quarter. Spencer Guppy scored 19 seconds into the period, and after William Penn got a man-up goal from Harley Williams to trim the margin to 9-5, the Crusaders responded with seven more goals in the quarter. Reidy scored at 8:22, Guppy added his second at 6:49, Ross Preston started a three-goal quarter at 4:54, and Davis converted a man-up opportunity at 3:52. Regimbal scored at 2:42, then Preston added goals at 1:50 and 0:48 as Madonna built a 16-5 lead entering the fourth.

Davis finished with five goals to lead Madonna, while Reidy had two goals and three assists in one of the team's best all-around attacking performances. Regimbal scored three times, Preston added three goals, and Guppy finished with two. Barker and DiSalle each contributed a goal and an assist, and Rico Hart had two assists as Madonna totaled 11 assists on 19 goals. The Crusaders also split faceoffs evenly at 14-14 and finished with 39 ground balls.

Jonathan Bendfeldt anchored the defensive effort with 23 saves over 60 minutes, a key figure in a game where William Penn generated 64 shots and 30 shots on goal. Madonna was credited with 23 successful clears in 27 attempts and held William Penn to one goal in the third quarter while the offense took command. Davis opened the fourth with his fifth goal of the day at 12:00, Reid Dunavant scored at 10:31, and Regimbal capped the scoring at 6:59 for the 19-7 final.

The neutral-site victory came before 157 spectators with Colena Lord serving as the official. For Madonna, the story was the response after the opening quarter, a sharp second-quarter reversal, steady faceoff work, and Bendfeldt's heavy save total behind an offense that produced in every phase, including a key man-up finish from Davis during the third-quarter run.

The Crusaders now advance to the NAIA Men's Lacrosse National Championship on Saturday, May 16th at 5:00 PM CST where they will face Keiser University.