MEQUON, Wis. – It was a championship moment years in the making for the Concordia Wisconsin men's lacrosse program. The Falcons secured their second all-time trip to the NCAA Division III Tournament with an 8-5 victory over Lake Forest in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) Tournament Championship on Saturday.
The win extends the longest winning streak in program history to 13 games and improves the Falcons to 19-1 on the season.
"It means everything to see our team celebrate a championship on our home field," said head coach Michael Fahey. "The support we felt today—from our department, our school, alumni, family, and friends—was incredible. This group has put in the work all season, and to see it pay off in this moment is special. I'm so proud of our players, our staff, and the alumni who helped build this program."
Saturday's matchup featured two of the top defensive units in the conference, and it showed early.
The Falcons wasted no time, striking in the opening minute as freshman Brayden Wilson (Pueblo West, Colo.) buried a low shot off a feed from freshman Kaleb Weikel (Andover, Minn.). Concordia continued to apply pressure, forcing three early turnovers before sophomore Jackson Knutson (Roseville, Minn.) converted a man-up goal off an assist from freshman Blane Vrana (Monument, Colo.).
Just three minutes later, junior Bryce Petersen (Waukesha, Wis.) added a highlight-reel, behind-the-back goal off another pass from Weikel. Moments after forcing another turnover, junior Ben Birch (Grafton, Wis.) raced downfield and scored to push the lead to 4-0.
Lake Forest found the back of the net late in the first quarter and threatened again in the closing seconds, but sophomore goalkeeper Nolan O'Malley (Chicago, Ill.) came up with a clutch save to preserve the advantage.
Weikel opened the second quarter scoring with a point-blank finish off a Wilson assist, but the Foresters responded with a pair of late goals to cut the Falcons' lead to 5-3 heading into halftime.
Knutson jumpstarted the second half, scoring just two minutes into the third quarter after finding space off a screen. Weikel followed a minute later with a wraparound goal to extend the lead to 7-3.
Lake Forest continued to battle, trimming the deficit to 7-5 with 3:32 remaining in the third quarter.
Concordia responded early in the fourth quarter, as Petersen netted his second goal of the game just over a minute in, finishing off a feed from Wilson.
From there, the Falcons controlled the game on both ends. The offense dominated possession and drained the clock, while the defense locked down the Foresters—forcing seven turnovers in the fourth quarter and allowing just two shots on goal.
As the final horn sounded, the Falcons stormed the field, celebrating their first NCAA Tournament berth since 2019.
In a balanced contest, Concordia held a 42-38 edge in shots and a 31-22 advantage in ground balls. O'Malley anchored the defense with 14 saves, while Wilson led the team with six ground balls.
The five goals allowed marked a season low for Lake Forest, which concluded its season at 11-7.
The Falcons will await their NCAA Tournament opponent, to be announced Sunday night during the NCAA Selection Show.
