CHICAGO, Ill. - The Concordia University Wisconsin men's lacrosse team returned to conference play with a road trip south to face the Illinois Tech Scarlet Hawks.
Despite outscoring Illinois Tech 9-4 in the second half, the Falcons could not overcome a first-half deficit, falling 12-10. The loss dropped CUW's record to 2-6 overall and 1-2 in Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) play.
Illinois Tech seized control in the opening quarter, jumping out to a 6-1 lead, with the lone CUW goal coming from senior Gio Nowotarski (Reading, Pa.), assisted by junior Connor Quill (Schaumburg, Ill.).
By halftime, the Scarlet Hawks had extended their lead to 8-1.
However, the Falcons were determined to mount a comeback. In the third quarter, CUW outscored Illinois Tech 5-3, with Nowotarski opening the half with a goal. Later, sophomore Bryce Petersen (Waukesha, Wis.) scored off a pass from freshman Jackson Knutson (Roseville, Minn.), igniting a four-goal unanswered run for the Falcons.
The streak began with a goal from senior Max Esposito (Gaithersburg, Md.), followed by an assist from Esposito to Petersen for the next tally. The fourth goal came on a man-up situation, with Esposito scoring off a pass from sophomore Tyler Husby (Eagan, Minn.).
With just a minute remaining in the third, the Scarlet Hawks added another goal, leading 11-6 heading into the final quarter.
The Falcons refused to quit, responding with four goals in the first four minutes of the fourth quarter. Junior Oliver Roa (Dunlap, Ill.) connected with Petersen 26 seconds in for the first goal. Exactly a minute later, Esposito scored unassisted, bringing CUW within two at 11-8.
At the 12:10 mark, just 74 seconds after his previous goal, Esposito found the back of the net again, closing the gap to 11-9. Then, 57 seconds later, junior Preston Meier (Owatonna, Minn.) scored his first goal of the night, pulling the Falcons within one at 11-10 with 11:13 to play.
Despite the Falcons' momentum, Illinois Tech held firm, preventing CUW from scoring the rest of the way. The Scarlet Hawks added one more goal with 2:53 left, sealing the 12-10 victory.
Esposito led the Falcons with five points, scoring four goals and recording one assist. Petersen added a hat trick, while Nowotarski scored twice. Five different Falcons contributed assists.
Sophomore Jaxon Hill (Bismarck, N.D.) led the team with eight ground balls and went 10-of-19 on faceoffs.
Defensively, senior Zach Wilder (Midland, Mich.) caused three turnovers, while senior Michael Lange (Brookfield, Wis.) and Esposito each caused two turnovers. Freshman goalie Nolan O'Malley (Chicago, Ill.) made two saves in the contest.
As a team, CUW converted 1-of-2 extra-man opportunities and held Illinois Tech to just 1-of-5 on their man-up chances. The Falcons were nearly flawless on clears, successfully advancing the ball across midfield on 20-of-21 attempts.
Next, the Falcons will look to bounce back as NACC play continues on Saturday at Fitting Field, where the Cornell Rams will visit for a conference showdown.
