Falcons Soar Past Lawrence

APPLETON, Wis. - The Concordia University Wisconsin men's lacrosse team secured its second consecutive win on Wednesday, dominating Lawrence University with a 20-8 victory at home. With the win, the Falcons improve to 6-7 overall and 4-3 in Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) play.

The Falcons' offensive outburst marked just the third time this season they have scored 20 or more goals, while the defense held firm, keeping an opponent to single digits for the sixth time this season.

Concordia wasted no time setting the tone, erupting for five unanswered goals in the opening three minutes. The fireworks started just nine seconds into the game, when sophomore Jaxon Hill (Bismarck, N.D.) won the faceoff and quickly found senior Caleb Ruger (Grafton, Wis.), who delivered a perfect pass to senior Max Esposito (Gaithersburg, Wis.) for the opening goal.

Just over a minute later, reigning NACC Offensive Player of the Week, Bryce Petersen (Waukesha, Wis.), found the back of the net off a setup from Ruger. At the 13:15 mark, senior Gio Nowotarski (Reading, Pa.) joined the scoring spree with a goal assisted by Esposito.

Only 28 seconds later, senior Preston Meier (Owatonna, Minn.) tallied his first point of the day, assisting Petersen's second goal. Esposito capped off the 5-0 run with an unassisted goal to complete the early barrage.

By the end of the first quarter, the Falcons held a 7-3 lead, powered by another unassisted tally from Esposito and a hat trick-completing third goal by Petersen with just 52 seconds left.

CUW's offense kept its foot on the gas in the second quarter, pouring in seven more goals to take a commanding 14-5 lead at halftime. The Falcons opened the frame with four straight scores. Meier struck first off a Ruger assist, followed by another Esposito goal, trailed by a goal Petersen assisted by Ruger. Senior Orion Danou (Janesville, Wis.) capped that stretch with a goal assisted by Esposito.

In the final three minutes of the half, CUW added three more. Nowotarski scored again, Petersen capitalized on a man-up opportunity, and Ruger found the net with just nine seconds left to make it a 14-5 game at the break.

Coming out of halftime, Concordia extended its lead by outscoring the Vikings 5-1 in the third quarter. 

After Lawrence opened the second half with a goal, the Falcons responded with five straight. Tyler Husby (Eagan, Minn.) got the run started, followed by another Ruger-to-Petersen connection. Petersen then flipped the script, assisting on Ruger's goal before setting up Meier's second goal of the day. Esposito capped the third-quarter scoring with his fifth goal, as Ruger tallied his sixth assist.

CUW broke the 20-goal mark late in the fourth, as senior Flynn Spano (St. Louis Park, Minn.) netted his first goal of the season with 2:26 remaining, sealing the 20-8 victory.

In all, eight different Falcons found the back of the net. Petersen led the way with six goals and two assists, totaling eight points. Ruger also posted a career-best performance with a career-high seven assists and two goals, for a career-best nine points.

Jaxon Hill played a key role in the faceoff, winning 12-of-16 draws and collecting a team-high eight ground balls. On the defensive end, junior Oliver Roa (Dunlap, Ill.) caused four turnovers to anchor the backline. In net, sophomore Travis Marquardt (Brookfield, Wis.) made two saves, while freshman Nolan O'Malley (Chicago, Ill.) added three.

Statistically, the Falcons dominated across the board. CUW held a 61-21 edge in total shots and a 42-13 advantage in shots on goal. They picked up 46 ground balls compared to Lawrence's 22 and were efficient in transition, converting 18-of-20 clear attempts. The Falcons also controlled possession with a 24-of-31 mark on faceoffs.

Concordia will now turn its focus to Senior Day on Saturday, when they host Beloit College at Fitting Field.