MLC Tournament Championship Preview: Falcons at Spartans

MEQUON, Wis. – Concordia Wisconsin and Aurora faceoff at 1 pm on Saturday for the MLC Tournament Championship and the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.

NEWSWORTHY NOTES
• THE LAST MEETING: It was a battle for all 60 minutes on April 5 in Mequon, with the scoreboard reading 5-5 with 7:47 to play in the third quarter. Aurora added a goal two minutes later to take a one-goal lead and tallied one more midway through the final quarter. Statistics were nearly even across the box score with a slight edge to the Falcons with a 2-for-4 performance on man-up chances and a 10-5 advantage for the Spartans on faceoff wins. Garrett Wohlford made 15 saves for Concordia Wisconsin and Bryce Wallgard had five caused turnovers for Aurora.
•  CAPITALIZING WITH A MAN-UP: Concordia Wisconsin and Aurora rank first and second in the MLC for man-up goals, with 32 and 30, respectively. The Falcons have scored three or more man-up markers in five games this season, while the Spartans have done the same. Whichever team can take advantage of the oppositions penalties will give themselves an opportunity to gain the momentum.
• SCOUTING AURORA: The Spartans enter the title game on a 15 game winning streak, with some impressive victories during that stretch. They have scored 20 or more goals six times, including the last three contests. Aurora is the ranked first in the MLC (league-only games) for goals (183), assists (122), ground balls (453), caused turnovers (124) and faceoff percentage (79.5). Overall, the Spartans rank top-10 nationally as a team in numerous statistical categories, while Corey Segall is fifth in faceoff winning percentage (71.3) and Tyler Lombardi is eighth in goals-against average (6.50).