WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The top-seeded and No. 3-ranked SCAD Savannah women's lacrosse team saw its conference tournament run come to an end on Saturday afternoon, falling 20-10 to the No. 2 seed (No. 5-ranked) Keiser University in the Sun Conference Championship game.
RECORDS: The Bees drop to 12-3 on the season, while the Seahawks improve to 15-3 to claim the tournament title.
HOW IT HAPPENED: The championship match started as a tightly contested battle. Both defenses held strong in the opening 15 minutes, with the teams trading blows to end the first quarter locked in a 2-2 tie.
The turning point came in the second quarter, where the Keiser offense caught fire. The Seahawks outscored the Bees 9-3 in the period, capitalizing on scoring opportunities to build an 11-5 advantage heading into the halftime break.
SCAD refused to back down, fighting hard in the third quarter. The Bees found the back of the net four times in the frame, trying to spark a comeback. However, Keiser answered with three goals of their own to maintain a comfortable lead. In the final quarter, the Seahawks put the game away, scoring six goals while limiting the Bees to just one, ultimately securing the 20-10 victory.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
- Maddy Hahn and Karley Holland led the SCAD scoring effort, each netting two goals. Holland also contributed three caused turnovers and two ground balls defensively.
- McKinsey Brown tallied two points on one goal and one assist, while adding three ground balls and three caused turnovers.
- Ellen Benintendi found the back of the net once and was heavily relied upon in the center circle, securing a game-high nine draw controls.
- Riley O'Keefe stuffed the stat sheet with an impressive all-around performance: one goal, a team-high four ground balls, a team-high four caused turnovers, and two draw controls.
- Annise Berkeley, Lilah Herold, and Maddie Krohn each contributed one goal to round out the scoring for the Bees.
- Goalies Chloe Zundel and Lorna Fowles shared time in the cage. Zundel played 46 minutes and made five saves, while Fowles recorded two saves in relief.
WHAT'S NEXT? The Bees will now await their potential selection and seeding for the upcoming NAIA Women's Lacrosse National Championship tournament.
