Men's Lacrosse knocks off MLC perennial power Aurora

AURORA, Ill. – Concordia Wisconsin believed in its talent and experience on Wednesday afternoon and walked away with an all-important 11-9 MLC road victory over Aurora at Vago Field. The win keeps the Falcons hopes alive for a home MLC Tournament game and ended the Spartans 43-game conference winning streak.

THE BASICS
Final Score: Concordia Wisconsin 11, Aurora 9
Location: Vago Field (Aurora, Ill.)
Records: Concordia Wisconsin 11-5, 6-1 MLC; Aurora 15-2, 6-1 MLC

HOW IT HAPPENED
- Sometimes the pressure can be too much for a team, but Concordia Wisconsin was calm and collected during its crucial victory over Aurora. The Falcons hadn't defeated the Spartans in eight previous meetings, but more importantly, it keeps them in the hunt for a home MLC Tournament game.
- The Falcons jumped out to a commanding 4-1 lead through a quarter-and-a-half of play, which included a pair of sophomore Warren Kaminsky (Winnipeg, Manitoba) goals. The Spartans wouldn't go away quietly, as they climbed back to a 7-7 tie with 34 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
- Freshman Jacob Leitner (Sykesville, Md.) and sophomore Aidan Connolly (Grayslake, Ill.) scored back-to-back goals in the fourth period, which was enough to give Concordia Wisconsin a 10-8 advantage. Down the stretch, Aurora fired off shots from every angle, but sophomore Garrett Wohlford (Rochester, Minn.) played one of the best games of his career and made 18 saves.
- Everyone hears about 'defensive help', but the offense was in a helpful mood with seven assists on 11 goals. Much of that can be attributed to senior Kellen Asmundson (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) who tallied four assists, to go along with a hat trick.
- Kaminsky finished with a trio of scores. Defensively, Junior Paul Fisher (Champlin, Minn.) and senior Benjamin Smith (Round Lake Beach, Ill.) caused four and three turnovers, respectively.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Looking at some of the statistics in the box score, it would be alright to assume Aurora dominated the game (45-19 lead in shots, 34-16 difference in ground balls and 17-of-23 faceoff wins), however, Concordia Wisconsin valued its possession and scored when needed.
- Wohlford had at least five saves per quarter over the final 45 minutes of action. His 18 saves are tied for the third-most in a game in program history.
- Asmundson's four assists are tied for the 10th most in a game in program history. He also set the single-season record for assists and now has 31 this year.
- Fischer set the single-season record for caused turnovers and has 37 this season.

THE OPPOSITION
- Trevor McNamara had four goals and two assists to lead the Spartans offense, while Jason Koziol scored three times and assisted on a marker.
- Corey Segall won 16-of-21 faceoffs and picked up 10 ground balls.
- Bryce Wallgard and Sam Hiss each had three caused turnovers, and the Spartans had 16 as a team.

NEXT ON THE SCHEDULE
- Concordia Wisconsin hosts Cornell on Saturday at 4 pm at Fitting Field during the last MLC game of the regular season.