MOUNT VERNON, Iowa – The Concordia University Wisconsin men's lacrosse team defeated Cornell College, 19-7, on the road Saturday afternoon. The Falcons remain undefeated against the Rams, winning all nine meetings since the first matchup in 2015. With the victory, CUW improves to 9-1 overall and 3-1 in conference play.
 
The Falcons opened the contest with a dominant first quarter, scoring seven goals while holding Cornell to two. Freshman Kaleb Weikel (Andover, Minn.) scored the first goal of the game and added two more in the opening frame to record his fourth hat trick of the season. Ben Birch (Jr. - Grafton, Wis.), Griffin Simons (So. - Palatine, Ill.), Brayden Wilson (Fr. - Pueblo West, Colo.), and Jackson Knutson (So. - Roseville, Minn.) each found the back of the net.
 
Neither team scored for nearly the first nine minutes of the second quarter before Cornell struck first. Just 23 seconds later, freshman Blane Vrana (Monument, Colo.) responded to restore the Falcons' five-goal advantage. Senior Preston Meier (Owatonna, Minn.), junior Bryce Petersen (Waukesha, Wis.), and Weikel each added a goal to extend the CUW lead to 11-3 heading into halftime.
 
Knutson continued his strong performance, scoring two early goals in the second half to complete his hat trick. He later added two more in the fourth quarter as the Falcons extended their lead to 16-5 with 10:17 remaining.
 
CUW added three more goals over the next 3:03, including Petersen's third of the game for his eighth hat trick of the season. Freshman Will Webber (Buffalo, Minn.) and freshman Ryan Maly (Sun Prairie, Wis.) also scored to cap the Falcons' offensive output. This was the first collegiate goal for Maly. Cornell added two goals in the final 20 seconds, but the Falcons' lead proved too large to overcome.
 
Weikel led the Falcons with four goals and two assists. Wilson contributed one goal and four assists, while Knutson finished with five goals. Knutson also led the team with 13 shots, including eight on goal.
 
At the face-off X, senior Frank Trewyn (Mukwonago, Wis.) went 10-for-14 while collecting five ground balls. Junior Jaxon Niemeyer (Tinley Park, Ill.) won five of his 11 face-offs, and freshman Nathan Beyer (Duluth, Minn.) went 3-for-4.
 
Defensively, CUW forced 16 Cornell turnovers while committing 15 of its own. Five Falcons recorded two caused turnovers during the contest.
 
In goal, sophomore Nolan O'Malley (Chicago, Ill.) started and played the first three quarters, recording seven saves. Freshman Connor Jackson (Potomac, Md.) played the final quarter and added one save. O'Malley earned the win and improves to 8-1 on the season.
 
The Falcons return to action Wednesday at Lake Forrest. The conference match-up is set to begin at 4 p.m. in Lake Forrest, Ill.