HARDEEVILLE, S.C. — The No. 6 SCAD Savannah men's lacrosse team secured a hard-fought 12-9 victory against Reinhardt University on Saturday afternoon at the SCAD Athletics Complex.
 
RECORDS: With the win, the Bees improved to 11-2 overall and 4-1 in Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) play. Reinhardt moved to 4-1 overall and 3-1 in conference action.
 
DID YOU KNOW? This is the first time since 2018 in which SCAD has defeated Reinhardt. It is also the first time since 2019 the Bees defeated a top-five ranked opponent.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: The contest began as a back-and-forth defensive battle, with the Eagles striking first just a minute into the game.
 
SCAD responded with a goal from Mason Hickman to knot the game at one-all with 8:29 remaining in the first quarter. Back-to-back goals from Reinhardt gave the Eagles a 3-1 lead before SCAD scored again when Sebastian Manuel found the back of the net to come within one (3-2) heading into the second.
 
The second quarter saw the Bees find their rhythm offensively. Jonathan O'Bryant Graves sparked a three-goal run with back-to-back goals, followed by Travis Cheristin to push SCAD to the third tie of the game (5-5). Despite the pressure, the game remained deadlocked at five-all going into the halftime break.
 
In the third period, SCAD began to pull away. Hickman completed a second-half hat trick with back-to-back goals, and he later added a fourth score, off an assist from Ian Wildermuth, to give the Bees an 8-6 advantage.
 
The final frame belonged to SCAD, as the Bees outscored Reinhardt 4-3 with goals from Ethan Cline (2), Cheristin and O'Bryant Graves, to seal the three-point victory.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE: Mason Hickman delivered a standout performance, leading all scorers with four goals and one assist for a game-high five points.
 
Sebastian Manuel was a key playmaker, finishing with three assists and on goal, while Jonathan O'Bryant Graves added three goals and one assist, with Travis Cheristin adding two goals and two assists. Ethan Cline totaled two goals while Ian Wildermuth and Eli Phillips added one assist each.
 
Keaton Melcher was strong in the cage, recording eight saves to protect the lead. The defensive unit was anchored by Conor Marr, who led the team with four caused turnovers and three ground balls. David Nebus added three caused turnovers and four ground balls, while seven other contributed one caused turnover to the Bees' 14 team total.
 
20^th ANNIVERSARY: This year marks the 20^th-anniversary of the men's lacrosse program and alumni from that inaugural team in attendance were honorary captains at the beginning of the game. All alumni in attendance were recognized at halftime.
 
 
WHAT'S NEXT? The Bees will return to action at home on Thursday, April 9, to take on Life University at 5:00 p.m.