FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Limestone is taking the Division II men’s lacrosse championship trophy back to South Carolina after a one-year hiatus.

Senior faceoff ace Kevin Reisman wasn’t about to have it any other way as he wrapped up his college career.

 Reisman won 17 of 24 faceoffs and ignited a three-goal flurry early in the third quarter of Sunday’s title game as the Saints rallied for an 11-9 victory over Merrimack at Gillette Stadium.

It is the fifth national title for Limestone (21-1) and its third in four years. But it is contrast to the Saints’ 8-4 stumble against Le Moyne a season ago that this championship takes on added meaning.

“The senior group, we kind came together last year after a heartbreaking season,” Reisman said. “We thought we were one of the best teams in Division II history last year, but we kind of fell apart toward the end of the season. This season, we knew this was our team and we had to make sure we didn’t fall apart and stay the course and restore the order and that’s what we did today.”

Junior Ryan Maciejewski had three goals and an assist and junior goalie Cole Aikens made 13 saves as Limestone avenged an 18-13 loss to Merrimack on April 23.

Kyle Stenberg had two goals and an assist as the Warriors (15-4) lost in their first title game appearance.

“We were here to win this,” Merrimack coach Mike Morgan said. “We weren’t here to show up. But what [our seniors] did for our program and where they took us, it’s been a major step forward.”

The Warriors had the same conundrum so much of Division II faced over the last four years: How to deal with Reisman, who wrapped up his senior year with a 74.4 faceoff percentage.

Reisman was 18 of 31 the first time around against Merrimack and was better prepared with a week to get ready for the Warriors.

“I watched a lot of film this time,” Reisman said. “Last time, I didn’t really watch that much film and didn’t really know what their wings were going to do. My wing play was stout. They were picking up GBs that I wasn’t.”

As much as Reisman ensured Limestone would enjoy plenty of possession, Merrimack led 5-4 at halftime and quickly added another goal just after the break. The Saints then scored three goals in the next 17 seconds, with wing Jordan Stouros and Reisman providing assists on the last two goals.

Suddenly, a Merrimack team that had forced Limestone into beating it in six-on-six situations was stung in unsettled situations. Limestone scored the next two goals as well to make it 9-6 and never relinquished the lead.

“In the second half it was mostly the transition opportunities that became a problem,” Merrimack defenseman Tom McLaughlin said. “We weren’t really talking enough defensively, and that led to some breakdowns and some pretty good looks. It’s hard for any goalie to make those saves.”

Merrimack’s defense took a hit six seconds into the game when defenseman Ryan Burke left with an injury and did not return. It forced the Warriors to juggle their defensive assignments, but they still did solid work against a team averaging 16.3 goals per game.

It didn’t counteract the progress Limestone made on defense. Aikens’ improvement over the teams’ last meeting solidified the defense. Limestone improved to 106-2 in seven seasons under coach J.B. Clarke when it allows less than 10 goals.

It became even easier to do so over the last four years thanks to Reisman, who was named the national player of the year in 2015 and 2017. He concluded his career with 926 groundballs, including 14 in Sunday’s finale.

“Teams spend so much time and energy focusing on Kevin,” Clarke said. “They put three long stick middies out there. He did a good job this year of working harder with the wing guys and allowing them to help him more than he has in the past. In the past, he’s been more focused on him getting the ball.”

This, ultimately, was a more dialed-in bunch than the group that swaggered into last year’s final in Philadelphia with a powerful offense and an unblemished record. The breakdown stuck with the Saints throughout the offseason, enough for Clarke to consult Denver coach Bill Tierney on what was an appropriate amount to talk about the program’s collective disappointment.

Tierney’s advice: Trust your gut. And after the subject was broached repeatedly in the fall, it was left in the past when the calendar turned to 2017.

“They learned their lessons from it,” Clarke said. “I learned my lessons from it. I have to take all the responsibility for not playing great on this day a year ago. But these guys turned that around. It was probably a less talented team across the board. We had nine guys score goals today. That’s unbelievable. That’s team lacrosse.”

It was a fine team, but one with a force of nature taking faceoffs. The rest of the Division II is only too eager to see Reisman graduate.

His coach, though, is especially appreciative of a dominant career that included four All-America nods.

“I’m going to miss him,” Clarke said. “I probably won’t sleep well tonight because of that.”

If so, it will just give Clarke a little more time to savor the Saints’ spectacular season.