Keiser (Fla.) Never Trails, Beats Indiana Tech for NAIA Men's Crown

It was simply all Keiser (Fla.).

The Seahawks never trailed in Saturday’s NAIA men’s lacrosse championship game, and 10 second-half goals helped them pull away from Indiana Tech in a 15-8 win. Keiser is the third team to win an NAIA Red Banner.

Cole Stassi assisted AJ Badik to get the game started, and it was just the beginning for Keiser. After Indiana Tech took advantage of a Seahawks penalty to tie the score, Badik scored again for a 2-1 lead. The Seahawks led 3-1 at the end of the first quarter and eventually 5-2 at halftime.

Two goals in 39 seconds extended the Keiser lead to 7-2, then Jack Gillen made it 8-2 after Christian Tomei (14 saves) saved it on the other end. It was 10-3 Keiser heading into the fourth quarter, and the Seahawks promptly extended that lead to 13-3 with a trio of tallies in the opening four minutes of the final period.

That all but ended Indiana Tech’s hopes of a comeback.

Badik scored eight goals — a tournament-high mark — for Keiser. Gillen had four goals and two assists, and Stassi recorded a tournament-best seven assists. Cam Provines dominated the faceoff dot, going 18-for-23.

Keiser entered the season ranked seventh in the NAIA preseason poll, with Reinhardt (Ga.) etched into the No. 1 spot on the heels of five straight titles. The Seahawks jumped five spots to No. 1 in the poll’s first update on March 8 and never looked back on their way to a championship.