Men's Lacrosse rallies for thrilling MLC victory over Augustana

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Trailing by two goals with two minutes remaining in regulation, the Concordia University Wisconsin Men's Lacrosse team responded, scoring twice, the latter coming with four seconds left to force overtime. CUW would then net the game-winner with 1:25 remaining in overtime for a 14-13 Midwest Lacrosse Conference win over Augustana College on Saturday at Thorson-Lucken Field.

Sophomore Matt Garvey (Winnipeg, Manitoba) scored the game-tying goal with four seconds left in regulation and senior Danny Dahms (Calgary, Alberta) buried the game-winner for the Falcons. The Dahms winner was assisted by junior Derek Brueske (Hopkins, Minnesota).

The three late goals capped off an incredible comeback by the Falcons as they trailed by five with four minutes remaining in the third quarter. CUW answered with three goals over a 1:09 span to cut the Vikings lead to two late in the third. Two of those goals were man-up as CUW finished with five man-up goal, two coming from senior Sam Wladyka (Winnipeg, Manitoba).

CUW (2-2, 1-0 MLC) dominated the final the fourth quarter and overtime, outscoring AC 5-1. Junior Matt Larsen (Gurnee, Ill.) scored two of his team-best four goals in the fourth. He added an assist, leading the team with five points. His final goal came with 1:58 left in regulation, cutting the AC lead to 13-12.

The game started out in favor of the Vikings as they built a 4-1 lead after 15 minutes of play. The Falcons would cut the lead to 7-5 before halftime. Larsen scored his first two goals in the second quarter.

After the break, both teams turned up the offense in the third quarter, combining for nine goals, four coming from CUW. Freshman Colin Raley (Inverness, Ill.) scored a man-up goal in the third period, while Dahms added an unassisted score that helped start the Falcons rally.

Sophomore Danny Bundra (Lake Zurich, Ill.) played a key role in the Falcons win as he was dominant in his faceoff role. Bundra won 18-of-28 faceoffs during the contest.

CUW also had an advantage in groundballs, gaining 45 compared to 37 for the Vikings. CUW held a 12-6 edge in groundballs over the fourth quarter. Senior Kyle Burrell (Calgary, Alberta) tied his career-high with eight groundballs in the contest. CUW finished the game with nine caused turnovers.

Junior Emmet O'Malley (Elk Grove Village, Ill.) made 14 saves in picking up the victory. His counterpart, Cody Burgdorff, stopped 13 shots as each team finished the game with 27 shots on goal.

Three Falcons finished the game with four or more points, led by Larsen's five. Dahms and Wladyka each added four points, both players scoring twice and assisting on two goals. Garvey added three points (one goal, two assists) and Brueske finished with a goal and an assist for CUW.

The Falcons will return to action Wednesday when they visit MSOE for another MLC showdown. The contest between CUW and the Raiders is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start.