Lacrosse Steamrolls Montreat (N.C.), 24-3

By Mike DeVader, Reinhardt Director of Athletic Communications & Media

WALESKA, Ga. – The NAIA's top team hit the 10-plus win plateau on Saturday night at home after making quick work of Montreat (N.C.) in Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) action, 24-3.

The Cavaliers were the second-consecutive team to score first on the Eagles (10-0, 5-0 AAC), but the advantage didn't last long, as Reinhardt went up, 4-1, after the opening period before exploding for 14 tallies the second en route to a blowout victory.

"Another good team win," lead Eagle John Snow said. "I thought we started a little slow offensively, as we seemed to be a little out of sync. Once we settled down, we really got into a nice groove. We're at our best when we dodge hard to the cage and share the ball. We were able to put a lot of pressure on their defense and we were getting really high-percentage shots. We did a great job at the faceoff (especially Carter Maurice), as he must've had nine or 10 ground balls off the wing. This allows us to dominate time of possession and control the pace of play.

"My defense was solid as usual, and I am happy with another conference win. We have to get ready for a big one on Thursday."

Ten Eagles found the back of the net in the conference victory, as the duo of Gavin Banks and Dillan Bousquet paced the widespread offensive attack with four goals apiece. Right behind them was another pair of teammates – Conner Mills and Kyle Banks – with three scores each on the night.

Before getting pulled from the matchup, JR Sess was completely dominate at faceoffs with 19 wins in 21 chances. That ball possession, specifically in the second period, spelled doom for Montreat as Reinhardt rolled to victory.

Chandler Cantrell was 7-for-10 at faceoffs in relief, and Carter Maurice was all over the field with nine ground balls – most of them coming directly after goals from the wing.

Not to be outdone, Cameron Cochran, Zane Anderson, Tyler Chavous and Titus Thind all picked up two tallies as well.

Anderson and Kyle Banks added three assists each on the night.

The team outshot the opposition, 60-17, and scooped up 49 ground balls (compared to 13 for the Cavaliers).

Three goalies saw action for the hosts, as Matt Webb got the win after 30 minutes of play and two saves. Turner Cho then made four stops in 18:04, followed by Liam Wright finishing the get-together with a pair of saves as well.

SCAD-Savannah (Ga.) comes to town next on April 8 at 6 p.m.

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