MEQUON, Wis. - The Concordia University Wisconsin men's lacrosse team celebrated Senior Day in dominant fashion, cruising to a 22-5 win over Beloit College. The victory moves the Falcons to 7-7 overall and 5-3 in Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) play.
The day was marked by two major milestones.
Senior Max Esposito (Gaithersburg, Md.) etched his name into the program's history books by breaking the all-time career goals record, previously held by former teammate and coach Keijo Day. Entering the contest two goals shy of the record, Esposito wasted no time, netting the record-breaking goal with 6:11 left in the first quarter. He finished the game with six goals and three assists, bringing his career total to 179 goals and solidifying his legendary status at CUW.
Fellow senior Caleb Ruger (Grafton, Wis.) also reached a major milestone, scoring his 100th career goal with 3:01 left in the second quarter. Already one of only three players in CUW history with 100 career assists, Ruger added five goals and four assists on the day, matching Esposito with a game-high nine points.
As a team, the Falcons delivered one of their most complete performances of the season. It marked the fourth time this year they scored 20 or more goals, while the defense held an opponent to single digits for the seventh time.
CUW opened the game in dominant fashion, jumping out to a 9-0 lead in the first quarter. Ruger opened the scoring just 61 seconds into the game. From the 9:34 to 6:46 mark, the Falcons scored four times—Esposito netted two, while senior Cooper Fellows (De Pere, Wis.) and sophomore Tyler Husby (Eagan, Minn.) each added goals, with Ruger assisting on three of the four.
In the final 1:51 of the quarter, CUW added three more goals. Esposito assisted a goal by senior Gio Nowotarski (Reading, Pa.) and set up Ruger's second of the game. With just eight seconds left, Esposito scored again off a Ruger assist to give the Falcons a 9-0 lead after one.
The second quarter was more competitive, but CUW still outscored Beloit 4-3. Ruger scored a man-up goal assisted by sophomore Bryce Petersen (Waukesha, Wis.), while senior Chase Drexler (Vernon Hills, Ill.) tallied a goal off of a pass from senior Hans Milchling (Cockeysville, Md.). Milchling would later assist another Ruger goal, and Ruger closed the half with his fourth, set up by Husby, as CUW led 13-3 at the break.
The Falcons controlled the second half as well, outscoring the Buccaneers 9-2; 4-1 in the third and 5-1 in the fourth.
Esposito opened the third-quarter scoring, followed by goals from senior Flynn Spano (St. Louis Park, Minn.) off a pass from freshman Jackson Knutson (Roseville, Minn.), and another from Esposito on a feed by Drexler. Nowotarski added his second to close the third.
CUW's offense stayed hot in the fourth. Husby scored with another assist from Milchling, while freshman Bode Rachey (Warman, Sask.) added a goal assisted by freshman Carter Lyons (Grand Rapids, Mich.). Lyons would later score on a man-up opportunity, assisted by Drexler. Fellows found the back of the net with 5:28 remaining, assisted by Milchling, and Rachey closed the scoring with 17 seconds left on a feed from Drexler.
In total, nine different Falcons found the net. Esposito and Ruger led with six and five goals, respectively, while Milchling recorded four assists and Drexler added three. Fellows led the team with six ground balls, followed by four each from senior Scott Lileks (Boise, Idaho) and sophomore Jaxon Hill (Bismarck, N.D.). Sophomore Jaxon Niemeyer (Tinley Park, Ill.) won a team-high six faceoffs.
Defensively, 11 different Falcons caused turnovers, with Lileks notching two. In goal, freshman Travis Marquardt (Brookfield, Wis.) earned the win with five saves in 30 minutes, while freshman Nolan O'Malley (Chicago, Ill.) also recorded five saves.
CUW outshot Beloit 61-24, including 40 shots on goal. The Falcons were efficient in transition, clearing 20 of 22 attempts, and won 21-of-31 faceoffs.
The Falcons will look to extend their win streak to four when they travel to Fond du Lac to face Marian University on Wednesday, April 16.
