Fahey Records 100th Win as Coach with Falcon Comeback

MEQUON, Wis. – The CUW men's lacrosse team played comeback in a thrilling matchup with the Hornets of Kalamazoo.

The Falcons scored first with an unassisted goal from sophomore Max Esposito (Gaithersburg, Md.).

The Hornets went on to net three straight goals to take the 3-1 lead including a man-up goal to end the first half. The Hornets made it four straight with the first goal of the second half.

The Blue and White came roaring back with three straight goals to tie the matchup at four. 

Esposito netted the first, sophomore Gio Nowotarski (Reading, Pa.) netted the second with an assist from senior Jack Gromosky (Danville, Ind.), and freshman Preston Meier (Owatonna, Minn.) netted the third with another assist coming from Gromosky.

Kalamazoo took a 5-4 lead with nine and a half minutes remaining in the third quarter.

A pair of man-up goals gave the flock a 6-5 lead. Esposito scored his third goal of the game on an unassisted, restart shot with Nowotarski following that up with another man-up goal on the same, non-releasable penalty. Nowotarski was assisted by sophomore Chase Drexler (Vernon Hills, Ill.). Sophomore Pat Ryan (Western Springs, Ill.) pushed the Falcon lead to two with a goal assisted by Nowotarski.

Kalamazoo cut the lead to one with a goal late in the third quarter.

It was all Falcons the rest of the way with six straight goals including two more in the third quarter which saw Esposito net an unassisted goal and Pat Ryan netting a goal with an assist from Esposito.

The fourth quarter saw Meier score the first two goals of the quarter including a man-up goal. His first was assisted by junior Caleb Ruger (Grafton, Wis.), and the second was assisted by Esposito. Senior Matthew Sierzega (Grayslake, Ill.) found the back of the net for his second goal of the season off an assist from junior Flynn Spano (St. Louis Park, Minn.) who recorded his first point of the season with the assist. Nowotarski capped off the Blue and White victory with an unassisted goal to give the Falcons the 13-6 lead.

The win was a special one for head coach Mike Fahey, who notched his 100th career win. The Falcons' comeback was led by Max Esposito, who scored four goals and added two assists. Gio Nowotarski contributed three goals and one assist, while Preston Meier scored his first career hat trick with three goals.

The Falcons' defense also played a key role in the victory, holding the Hornets to just six goals. With the win, the Falcons improve to 4-2 on the season.

Senior Evan Leden (Waukegan, Ill.) came up with a career-high 19 saves in the contest.

The Falcons have a quick turnaround and are back in action at Fitting Field on Wednesday against Carthage.