Box Score Grand Rapids, Mich. – The top-ranked and defending NAIA Invitational Champion SCAD Savannah (Ga.) opened the game on a 9-2 run to defeat No. 4 Lawrence Tech (Mich.) 18-11 in the semifinals of the NAIA Women's Lacrosse Invitational Friday afternoon at the AQ Athletic Field. 

RECORDS:  With the win, the Bees advances to their second straight NAIA Invitational Championship game and improve to 14-0, while the Blue Devils fall to 14-5.

DID YOU KNOW? Last season the Bees defeated the Blue Devils of Lawrence Tech 16-10 to win the 2017 NAIA National Invitational Title.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: SCAD netted four straight goals, including a pair from Sydney Knego, to take a 4-0 lead with 22:33 remaining.  Lawrence Tech got on the board as Isabelle Vickers connected with Marci Schaeffer for a goal to make it 5-1.

SCAD recorded five of the next six goals to extend their lead to 9-2 with 14:12 remaining in the first half. The two teams traded goals before Lawrence Tech tallied three straight to cut the score to 10-6 with 2:03 remaining. 

SCAD added a goal just before the half as Jo Mitchell found Katie Rowell cutting towards the cage to give the Bees an 11-6 advantage at the break. 
The two teams traded goals to start the second half.  Rowell and Knego tallied back-to-back goals to extend SCAD's lead to 14-7 with 12:35 remaining.

Lawrence Tech battled back tallying three of the next four goals, including a free position goal by Ashley Sherry to advance their score to 15-10 with 6:05 remaining. 

That was the closest the game got as the two teams traded goals, before Drew Dowgiallo and Knego each connected with the back of the cage for the 18-11 final.

BOX SCORE: SCAD led in all statistical categories. The Bees outshot Lawrence Tech 55-28, grabbed 17-of-27 draw controls, and scooped up 34 ground balls compared to the Blue Devils 32.
Knego led the way for the Bees as she scored a game-high eight goals and totaled one assist for a game-high nine points. She nabbed a game-high eight draw controls and caused one turnover.
 
Vaccaro and Casey Summerson totaled five points. Vaccaro scored three goals with two assists while Summerson totaled four assists and one goal. Summerson also totaled three ground balls, two draw controls and two caused turnovers.
 
Jo Mitchell added four assists while Drew Dowgiallo tallied two goals, one assist and two ground balls and Shannon Flaherty forced five turnovers and netted a pair of goals.
 
Emma Deveraux picked up a game-high six ground balls to go along with one assist and four caused turnovers while Katie Rowell added two goals and three ground balls.

WHAT'S NEXT? The Bees will take on No. 3 Indiana Tech – who upset No. 2 Cumberlands in the semifinals – on Saturday, May 12 at 1:00 p.m. in the 2018 NAIA National Invitational Final.