Natty final
20
Winner Keiser KU 15-0
10
Madonna MU 20-2
Winner
Keiser KU
15-0
20
Final
10
Madonna MU
20-2
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Keiser KU 7 3 4 6 20
Madonna MU 3 5 1 1 10

Game Recap: Men's Lacrosse |

Madonna rally falls short in 20-10 loss to Keiser in NAIA National Championship Game

DECATUR, Ala.-- Madonna erased much of an early deficit and pulled within two late in the first half, but Keiser regained control after halftime and pulled away for a 20-10 win Saturday in the NAIA National Championship Game at Jack Allen Complex in Decatur, Alabama.

Keiser set the tone early with a 7-3 first quarter, getting goals from Ryan Rundle and Kegan Hufford before building a four-goal margin. Madonna answered at key spots in the opening quarter, including a goal from Rico Hart at 9:55 and another from Ross Preston with 3:32 left, but Hufford closed the quarter with his fourth goal to send Keiser into the break ahead 7-3.

The Crusaders made their strongest push in the second quarter. Owen Barker started the response, Preston scored again to make it 9-5, and Benjamin Reidy added another to trim the deficit to three. Cooper Regimbal then scored with 2:35 left in the half, and Spencer Guppy followed at 1:49 to bring Madonna within 9-8 after the Crusaders had chipped away from a multi-goal hole. That surge gave Madonna a real opening, but AJ Badik answered with 43 seconds remaining to send Keiser to halftime with a 10-8 lead.

That late first-half answer proved decisive. Keiser opened the third quarter with another run, as Rundle scored at 8:50, Badik added his second of the period at 6:05, and Marek Albiero converted a man-up chance at 4:37 to extend the margin to 13-8. Ryan Davis scored at the buzzer to get Madonna within 14-9 entering the fourth, but Keiser put the game out of reach in the final quarter with six more goals. Albiero scored early in the fourth, Ryan Stowell followed, and Davis' second goal of the day made it 17-10 before Albiero's late man-up finish closed the scoring at 20-10.

Madonna had balanced production in defeat. Davis, Preston and Regimbal each scored two goals, while Barker, Reidy, Guppy and Hart also found the net. Barker, Preston and Davis recorded one assist apiece, accounting for the Crusaders' three assists. At the faceoff spot, Elvis Syroka kept Madonna competitive in possessions by winning 15 of 27 draws, helping the Crusaders finish just behind Keiser, 17-16, in faceoffs won.

Jonathan Bendfeldt finished with 13 saves in goal for Madonna and helped keep the Crusaders within striking distance during the first-half rally. Teamwide, Madonna put 20 of its 40 shots on goal, collected 31 ground balls and cleared successfully on 17 of 21 attempts. Keiser's balanced attack was led by Badik and Hufford with five goals each, Albiero with four and Rundle with three, while the Seahawks also capitalized on extra-man chances with four power-play goals before a crowd of 211.

The Crusaders will return for the 2027 season.
 
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