DECATUR — For the first time in program history, the William Penn men’s lacrosse team was victorious at the final site as it defeated No. 4 seed Reinhardt (Ga.) 12-11 in double overtime in Tuesday’s NAIA National Championship Quarterfinals.
Third-Team All-American Matt Scott (Fr., Denver, Colo., Sports Management) found Second-Teamer Kenny Bohney (Jr., Moorhead, Minn., Exercise Science) in front of the goal and Bohney beat the Eagle goalkeeper 65 minutes and nine seconds into the afternoon to secure the squad’s first-ever nationals’ victory.
Prior to Tuesday, the No. 4-seeded Statesmen, who are now 13-3, were 0-2 at nationals, 0-2 in their head-to-head history with Reinhardt, and 0-2 all-time in overtime games. All of those proverbial monkeys were finally ripped off WPU’s back in an epic quarterfinal victory.
Reinhardt (9-5) notched the game’s first three goals Tuesday before William Penn finally got on the board at the 1:05 mark of the opening period. Scott’s initial attempt was saved, but Harley Williams (Sr., Edmonton, Alberta, Political Science) picked up the loose ball and deposited it into the netting.
Unfortunately, RU added a late tally for a 4-1 edge after 15 minutes on the turf.
The navy and gold dominated the second stanza, but needed nearly six minutes before eventually breaking through. Williams scored first at the 9:14 mark, doing so off a pass from Garrett Katrana (So., Parker, Colo., Industrial Technology). Just over a minute later, Bohney took a pass from Everett Breniser (So., Centennial, Colo., Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management) and snuck it through, while exactly 60 seconds down the road Scott tied the bout at 4-4 on an unassisted goal.
The Eagles recaptured the advantage with 4:32 to go, but the Statesmen had the final say in the first half when Lucas Cox (Fr., Memphis, Tenn., Kinesiology) drove home a shot with assistance from Nate Levy (So., Lynwood, Wash., Biology).
Ten days ago, WPU was locked in a tight matchup with Benedictine in the Heart of America Athletic Conference Championship Finals, but pulled away in the third quarter. For 15 minutes, it was a case of déjà vu as the squad scored all six third-period goals for an 11-5 edge.
Bohney started off the run via a helper from Katrana. The senior added two more in the period, including one with just one second left. Breniser (unassisted), Williams (from Breniser), and Scott (unassisted) also found the netting. Scott and Levy assisted on Bohney’s final goals of the third.
Reinhardt refused to call it, however, slowly creeping back to a three-goal margin at 11-8 with 5:07 left in regulation. The Statesmen held strong for the next two minutes, but the floodgates opened yet again down the stretch and the higher seed was able to record the equalizer at the 1:48 mark.
Each side had one shot in the waning seconds, but neither connected, and overtime ensued.
The first extra session featured three shots by both WPU and RU, but again, no winner could be declared, so a second overtime was needed.
Connor Russell (Sr., Grand Haven, Mich., Applied Computer Science) then recorded his 24th and final save in the first minute of the sixth official period. The ball, which ricocheted away from the cage, was won by William Penn on a Reinhardt violation. Scott took possession, sprinted towards into his offensive end, and located a wide-open Bohney just outside of the goalie crease and he sent the Statesmen into hysteria–and into the next round–with his game-winner.
Bohney finished with five goals, while Williams was next with three winners. Scott had two goals and two assists, while Breniser (one goal, two assists), Levy (two assists), and Katrana (two assists) had a part in multiple scores as well.
Both teams managed 48 shots (35-27 shots on goal in favor of RU), while the ground ball battle was taken by the Eagles, 39-28. Cox led the navy and gold with four ground balls.
The victors also overcame a rough showing in the faceoff circle, winning just six of the 25 bouts. In a game that was as evenly-matched as they come, both teams ended up 20-for-26 in clears and also tied in turnovers, 20-20. Nolan Soller (Fr., Owatonna, Minn., Industrial Technology) paced the defense with three caused turnovers, while Cox added two.
The difference came in front of the cages with Russell’s 24 stops (15 for RU), including 11 in the fourth quarter and beyond. The senior’s 24 saves are a new single-game school record, snapping the old mark of 18 by Jeremy Smith (twice in 2022).
“The third time’s the charm,” Head Coach Luke Christiansen said. “Third nationals, third time against Reinhardt, and third OT game. The guys earned the win, and did something that has not been done from our conference since 2016.”
Next Up: William Penn will have a day off before meeting No. 1 seed Madonna (Mich.) Thursday in the semifinals at 4 p.m. (Central)
