Defense shines in Men's Lacrosse victory over Olivet

MEQUON, Wis. – It took a while to adjust to the bitterly cold weather, but Concordia Wisconsin's defense was focused and shut down Olivet during an 11-5 non-conference victory at Fitting Field.

THE BASICS
Final Score: Concordia Wisconsin 11, Olivet 5
Location: Fitting Field (Mequon, Wis.)
Records: Concordia Wisconsin 2-0, Olivet 0-2

QUOTING BENJAMIN SMITH

HOW IT HAPPENED
- While the Falcons offense was stagnant through 30 minutes of play, it was their defense that kept them in the game. The contest started to shift in their favor during the second quarter when they began a stretch of six-straight goals, while the defense forced seven turnovers and limited Olivet to just five shots in the third period.
- Concordia Wisconsin outscored Olivet 10-2 over the final 37 minutes and 45 seconds of the victory. During the scoring run to sway the game, it was senior Kellen Asmundson (Inver Grove, Minn.) who had three goals in a row during a five-minute span.
- Defensively, it was senior Benjamin Smith (Round Lake Beach, Ill.) who starred for the Falcons with five caused turnovers, while freshmen Nathan Oekerman (Beaverton, Ore.) and Ethan Danz (Appleton, Wis.) had three and two caused turnovers, respectively.
- More importantly, Concordia Wisconsin was outstanding on special teams and restricted Olivet to 0-of-6 on man-up opportunities.
- Asmundson led all scorers with a career-high five goals and an assist. Sophomore Stephen Gregory (Louisville, Ky.) had two goals and four of his teammates found the back of the net. Sophomore Aidan Connolly (Grayslake, Ill.) ended the win with two assists.
- Smith also had a career-high six ground balls, while freshman Ben Gramarossa (Smithtown, N.Y.) won 10-of-18 faceoffs and scooped up five ground balls. Sophomore Garrett Wohlford (Rochester, Minn.) earned a victory in goal after making eight saves.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The game was penalty ridden with four called on Olivet and nine on Concordia Wisconsin for a combined total of eight minutes.
- Smith's five caused turnovers were tied for the seventh most in a game in program history.
- Concordia Wisconsin starts a season 2-0 for the first time in program history.
- Game time temperature was 18 degrees, with winds out of the northwest at 15 mph making the wind chill in the low single digits. 

THE OPPOSITION
- Nino Minaudo paced the Comets with two goals, while three of his teammates had a marker.
- A trio of Comets picked up five ground balls and Cody Oracz had three caused turnovers.
- Drew Radners took the loss in goal after making 10 saves.

NEXT ON THE SCHEDULE
- The Falcons begin a three-game road trip with a Wednesday 5 pm non-conference game at Elmhurst.