FOND DU LAC, Wis. – There was plenty to celebrate for the Concordia Wisconsin women's lacrosse team on Wednesday. The Falcons not only picked up a key Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference victory at Marian, they watched history be made and clinched a spot in postseason play with the 14-9 victory over the Sabres.
Marian opened the scoring with a woman-down goal, but the Falcons answered quickly. Junior Carolyn Bourgeault (Buffalo, N.Y.) netted a free-position goal just two minutes later, and junior Emily Robertson (Canton, Mich.) followed 35 seconds after that, slicing through the defense to give Concordia early momentum.
The Sabres controlled possession late in the first quarter, however, and carried a 4-2 lead after 15 minutes.
History arrived in the second quarter.
Senior Katelyn Cardinale (Mount Laurel, N.J.) etched her name in the record books, scoring the 219th goal of her career off an assist from senior Claire Geidel (Seward, Neb.), breaking the previous program record of 218 set by Lauren Paquin in 2019.
The Black and Blue scored the next four goals to push the lead up to 7-3.
Emily Robertson gave the Falcons a spark rolling into halftime, burying a free-position goal with just 1.9 seconds remaining to jump start the Falcons
Robertson picked up right where she left off in the third quarter, scoring in the opening minute to extend her hat trick streak to six straight games with three or more goals.
Cardinale added another midway through the quarter off a slick feed from Bourgeault, trimming the margin to 6-7 before Marian briefly answered. But from that point on, it was all Falcons.
Concordia closed the third quarter with a pair of woman-up goals—including one that snuck off the goalie's hip, and a free-position strike with 10 seconds remaining to knot things up heading into the final frame.
Sophomore Anna Washburn (Suffield, Conn.) wasted no time in the fourth, giving the Falcons the lead on a sharp-angled finish off a feed from senior Makayla Spejcher (Green Bay, Wis.). Just 48 seconds later, Cardinale struck again, her fifth goal of the day, courtesy of another Bourgeault assist.
Bourgeault scored the 11th goal for the Falcons with 11:00 remaining after junior Naomi Black (Ottawa, Ontario) forced a turnover and found her all alone in front of the net.
Marian managed to pull within two at 11-9, but Concordia slammed the door shut. Spejcher delivered back-to-back goals to create breathing room, and Bourgeault capped the scoring with a free-position goal to put the finishing touches on a statement win.
The numbers tell the story of dominance. The Falcons outshot Marian 40-19, including a lopsided 17-1 advantage in the fourth quarter. Concordia also scooped up 46 ground balls, creating possessions and tempo throughout.
Junior Parks Cawthray (Oakville, Ontario) recorded six saves in the win.
With the victory, Concordia clinches its first NACC Tournament appearance since a runner-up finish in 2023. The Falcons improve to 7-6 overall and 5-2 in conference play.
Next up, the Falcons return home Saturday to host Edgewood with postseason seeding on the line.
