FOND DU LAC, Wis. - The Concordia University Wisconsin men's lacrosse team continued its hot streak with a commanding 18-3 win over Marian University on Saturday, marking their fourth consecutive victory.
With the win, the Falcons improved to 8-7 overall and 6-3 in Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) play. CUW has now won seven of its last nine games and is gaining momentum heading into the final stretch of the season.
CUW's offense clicked from the opening whistle, outscoring Marian in every quarter. The Falcons set the tone early, jumping out to a 5-1 lead after the first 15 minutes. Senior and reigning NACC Offensive Player of the Week Max Esposito opened the scoring off a feed from freshman Jackson Knutson (Roseville, Minn.). After Marian answered with a goal, CUW rattled off four straight, fueled by back-to-back tallies from sophomore Bryce Petersen (Waukesha, Wis.), with assists from senior Caleb Ruger (Grafton, Wis.) and an unassisted effort.
Esposito closed out the first quarter with a pair of goals in the final 30 seconds, his second and third of the day, with assists from Ruger and Petersen.
The Falcons added three more in the second quarter to take an 8-1 lead into halftime. Esposito scored two more goals, assisted by Petersen and senior Preston Meier (Owatonna, Minn.), before Meier found the net himself off an Esposito assist.
CUW poured it on in the third quarter, scoring a game-high seven goals while shutting out the Sabres once again. Ruger started the scoring with an assist from Esposito. Petersen and Knutson added unassisted goals before sophomore Tyler Husby (Eagan, Minn.) made it 12-1, assisted by Petersen. Husby then returned the favor, setting up Petersen's fourth of the game. Knutson assisted Petersen again for his fifth goal before Esposito capped the quarter with his sixth goal, unassisted, pushing the lead to 15-1.
In the fourth, CUW added three more to seal the win. Seniors Michael Lange (Brookfield, Wis.) and Orion Danou (Janesville, Wis.) each found the back of the net, with Hans Milchling (Cockeysville, Md.) assisting Danou. Senior Hunter Swazey (Escondido, Calif.) closed the scoring to secure the dominant 18-3 final.
Sophomore goalie Travis Marquardt (Brookfield, Wis.) earned the win, improving to 8-5 on the season. He made four saves and allowed just one goal. Freshman Nolan O'Malley (Chicago, Ill.) also saw time, recording three saves in just under 18 minutes.
Marquardt led the defensive effort with four caused turnovers. Lange, junior Olivia Roa (Dunlap, Ill.), sophomore Ben Birch (Grafton, Wis.), and seniors Zach Wilder (Midland, Mich.) and Connor Lang (Palatine, Ill.) each forced two turnovers. Sophomore Jaxon Hill (Bismarck, N.D.) and junior Frank Trewyn (Mukwonago, Wis.) each scooped up a team-high eight ground balls.
Offensively, Esposito and Petersen each tallied eight points. Esposito had six goals and two assists, while Petersen added five goals and three assists. Ruger and Knutson contributed two assists apiece.
In total, nine different Falcons scored, and ten players recorded at least one point. CUW set a season-high with 76 shots and recorded 45 shots on goal—the second-most this season. Defensively, they forced a season-high 36 turnovers and dominated possession, winning 20 of 25 faceoffs and collecting 53 ground balls compared to Marian's 21.
The Falcons will return to action next Wednesday as they take on Edgewood College in another key NACC matchup.
