The first round was relatively uneventful as we didn’t see a true upset, but something tells me the 2019 NAIA Lacrosse Semifinals will be different.
Yes, Aquinas was the sixth seed but given that they had split the regular season match ups with Lawrence Tech, I don’t think anyone was truly surprised by how close this game was. Moving forward we have yet another set of rematch’s as Reinhardt and Cumberlands will face-off for a third time this season, and Aquinas will play Indiana Tech for a second time.
#1 Reinhardt vs #4 Cumberlands
The first time these two teams played, the Patriots managed a one goal victory thanks to some late game heroics from Whitten McCune and Caleb Elerick. This also happened to be Reinhardt’s only loss of this year. It was a loss that the Eagles would later avenge in the conference final 12-1. In their last meeting, the Eagles would score 11 unanswered goals before the Patriots offense was able to find the back of the net. The question then is which Patriots offense will show up? We know that Reinhardt is here with one thing in mind, another championship, but can the Patriots find some early offense and continue the spirited play they showed in the opening round? Tune-in to the 2019 NAIA Lacrosse Playoffs on Friday at 1:00 p.m. and find out.
#2 Indiana Tech vs #6 Aquinas
After three quarters during the regular season matchup, Aquinas led 8-5. It took a seven-goal fourth quarter from Tech to pull out a one goal 12-11 win. On paper these teams are similar, with strong attack and defensive units and all-conference goalies. The one clear edge will be at faceoffs where Sam Werner went 64 percent the first time around. If the Saints want to continue to make history they will need a full four quarters of clean lacrosse. Tech has everything they need to win, with superior wing play they can offset some of Werner’s draw wins. At the top end I think both teams are equal, but I give a slight edge to Tech on depth. Which goalie will have a better day and take his team to the championship? It all happens Friday at 10:00 a.m.
Stay tuned for continued coverage of the 2019 NAIA Lacrosse Playoffs.
