Men's Lacrosse Shelves Eagles After Dominant Third Quarter

VERONA, Wis. - The Concordia Wisconsin men's lacrosse team collected its seventh win of the 2024 season on Wednesday evening, topping the Edgewood Eagles by a 21-11 score. The contest was highlighted by a pair of seven-goal performances from juniors Max Esposito (Gaithersburg, Md.) and Gio Nowotarski (Reading, Pa.).

Esposito took control of the game early, scoring three goals in the first quarter of play. His first goal came only 16 seconds into the contest, while Nowotarski collected the team's second goal of the game just over two minutes afterward.

After a late goal to end the first quarter put Edgewood on the scoreboard, the Falcons earned the score back by way of junior Luke Bigalk's (Chula Vista, Calif.) first career goal.

The Falcons and Eagles exchanged goals throughout the duration of the second quarter, but Concordia was the team to enter the second half with the scoring advantage, holding a 9-7 lead. Esposito and Nowotarski took responsibility for the Falcons' next two goals, while seniors Caleb Ruger (Grafton, Wis.) and Matthew Sierzga (Grayslake, Ill.) potted the remaining pair.

Despite a close reading on the scoreboard to open the second half, Concordia broke the game open during the third quarter, outscoring the Eagles 8-0.

Senior Parker Beaudry (Sherwood Park, Alta.) picked up his first goal of the game to begin the scoring stretch and would also go on to record the final goal of the period. Nowatarski scored four consecutive tallies for the Falcons during the quarter, and Esposito and junior Griffin Bahr (Grand Rapids, Minn.) joined in on the scoring parade as well. Esposito was involved in five of Concordia's eight goals in the frame, tallying four of his five assists over the 15-minute stretch.

The two squads traded goals for the duration of the fourth quarter, which began with Ruger's second score of the game. After Edgewood responded, Nowotarski found the back of the net once more to set a career-high with seven goals in the outing. Esposito scored the Falcons' final two goals to become the team's second seven-goal-scorer in the game, the second such instance for Concordia in the 2024 season.

Freshman goaltender Travis Marquardt (Brookfield, Wis.) recorded his seventh career win in the match, stopping 19 shots.

The Falcons will look ahead to Senior Day in their next contest against the 0-8 Concordia Chicago Cougars on April 13.