LIVONIA, Mich. – The NAIA fifth-ranked Siena Heights men's lacrosse team fell to second-ranked Madonna, 13-6, in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Tournament final, on Saturday. The Saints entered the contest as the No. 3 seed in the WHAC while the Crusaders were the No. 1 seed.
Madonna (20-0) started the scoring in the first quarter, netting two goals in the first four minutes of action. The Saints responded with goals from Danny Orr and Garnet Potter to even it at 2-2 to end the first quarter. The Crusaders came out strong in the second quarter, scoring five unanswered goals to lead SHU 7-2 at halftime.
To start the third quarter, the Crusaders scored twice more before Siena Heights put one in the back of the net. Ryan Mamo and Potter each netted one to make it 9-4, but MU scored again with 0:14 left to leave the third quarter with a 10-4 lead. After MU scored a man-up goal, the Saints and Crusaders traded goals with a final score of 13-6.
Siena Heights was led by Potter and Orr, each scoring twice while earning a groundball. Scoring once for SHU was Parker Richards and Mamo. Michael Birt III earned three caused turnovers and four groundballs for SHU while Patrick Albrant earned two caused turnovers and six groundballs. Earning hat tricks for MU was Tucker Brady, Cole Gingell and Harry Dyson. Ryan Flaherty had two goals while Chris Kovath and Frank Dedvukaj netted solo shots.
In net for the Saints, Tyler Hooper made 13 saves while winning goalie Gary Cutler stopped four shots. Zachary Beam went 18-for-23 in faceoffs while MU had 16-of-17 clears successful. Siena Heights managed 11-of-22 clears successfully while the Crusaders held a 20-26 turnover advantage.
The Saints conclude conference post-season play with an overall record of 11-4 while holding their fifth place ranking in the NAIA, awaiting to hear of an at-large bid to the NAIA National Invitational.