Cumberlands, Reinhardt Set to Meet in Women's Lacrosse Title Match

WALESKA, Ga. - Top-seeded Cumberlands (KY) and No. 2 seed Reinhardt (GA) moved into the Appalachian Athletic Conference Women's Lacrosse Tournament championship with semifinal victories at Ken White Field in Waleska, Ga., on Friday. The semifinals were hosted by Reinhardt, and both favorites controlled play early, with Cumberlands beating Georgetown 20-4 in the opener before Reinhardt followed with a 21-8 win over Tennessee Wesleyan in the second game.

Game 1 belonged to Cumberlands from the start. Christina Carter opened the scoring at 14:01 of the first quarter off an assist from Allison Joines, and the Patriots built a 4-1 lead by the end of the quarter. Georgetown stayed within reach for a stretch, getting goals from Hailey Voss in the first quarter and Madison Diaz early in the second, but each push was answered. Carter scored again at 10:13 of the second quarter to restore a three-goal margin, and Cumberlands went into halftime ahead 8-3.

The No. 1 seed then separated in the second half. Hannah Voss scored at 13:48 of the third quarter for Georgetown's final goal, cutting the deficit to 8-3, but Emma Rittman answered less than a minute later as Cumberlands began another scoring run. The Patriots outscored Georgetown 6-1 in the third quarter and 6-0 in the fourth to finish the game. Anna Lobbezoo led Cumberlands with five goals, Rittman and Carter each added four, and Ashlee Baker contributed two goals and three assists, including a free-position goal in the first quarter. Cumberlands finished with a 42-15 edge in shots, a 23-15 advantage in ground balls, and committed just 13 turnovers to Georgetown's 26. Georgetown goalkeeper play kept the margin from growing even larger, with 16 saves against 42 shots faced, while Cumberlands' goalie made five saves and limited Georgetown to nine shots on goal.

The second semifinal also turned quickly. Reinhardt scored eight times in the first quarter, starting with Izzy Prestia's opening goal at 14:00, and took an 8-1 lead into the second. Tennessee Wesleyan got an early answer from Elizabeth Pluta, whose first-quarter goal made it 3-1, but the Eagles continued to pile up possessions and finishes. Mary Grace Lewis scored early in the second quarter off a Lainey Byrne assist, and Reinhardt carried a 13-2 lead into halftime.

Reinhardt kept control after the break, adding six more goals in the third quarter to extend the margin to 19-4. Hayley Rakestraw opened the third-quarter scoring, and Chelbi Mcelwaney pushed the total past 20 with a fourth-quarter goal. Tennessee Wesleyan showed some late offense with four fourth-quarter goals, including the final score by Olivia Downey with one second left off an assist from Pluta, but the outcome was settled well before then. Emma Perritte paced Reinhardt with five goals and one assist, Prestia posted four goals and four assists, and Lewis added two goals and an assist. Downey finished with two goals and two assists for Tennessee Wesleyan, while Pluta had two goals and one assist.

The numbers reflected Reinhardt's control. The Eagles matched Cumberlands' 42-shot total from the earlier semifinal and put 36 shots on goal, while also holding an 18-9 edge in draw controls and committing only seven turnovers. Tennessee Wesleyan's goalkeeper recorded 15 saves, but Reinhardt's pressure from the opening quarter created too much separation. By day's end, the tournament's top two seeds had advanced out of the semifinal round in Waleska, setting up a championship meeting between Cumberlands and Reinhardt.

The championship match is set for 12 pm on Saturday.