(Ann Arbor, MI) – Concordia men's lacrosse played their second game of the year on a chilly Saturday afternoon, hosting Clarke University. The Cardinals entered looking for their first win of the young season while Clarke entered 1-1. CUAA pulled ahead early in the game and cruised to a 13-2 victory.
Devin Wolever (JR/Battle Creek, MI) and Ryan Iles (SO/Royal Oak, MI) tied with a team-high 3 goals in the game. Jake Brigmon (FR/South Lyon, MI) and Oliver Niedzwiecki (SR/Toledo, OH) recorded 2 goals apiece. Collin Webb (JR/Fort Wayne, IN) had a team-high 6 ground balls. Joseph Loria (FR/Fenton, MI) started in goal and notched 13 saves.
Clarke scored first in the game, but a goal from Nick Stedtefeld (JR/Sterling Heights, MI) tied the game just under 2 minutes in. Oliver Niedzwiecki and Devin Wolever scored 15 seconds apart later in the quarter to put the Cardinals ahead 3-1. After several solid passes, Anthony Tucker (SR/Canton, MI) scored with 3 seconds remaining to give CUAA a 4-1 lead after the 1st.
Ryan Iles fired a shot through traffic to tack on a power-play goal just over 2 minutes into the 2nd. The quarter featured mostly defensive play with Clarke scoring the only other marker before halftime. Concordia headed to the break with a 5-2 lead.
Ryan Iles ripped a shot straight into the net for the first goal in the 3rd quarter, beginning a run of 6 unanswered Cardinal goals. Devin Wolever slipped a shot in from around the net on the powerplay and Oliver Niedzwiecki spun and fired a goal in the net. Noah Sorenson (FR/Holland, MI) continued the Cardinals' onslaught with a goal and Devin Wolever completed his hat trick at the 6:03 mark. Jake Brigmon completed the quarter with a goal off a feed from behind the net by Oliver Niedzwiecki. CUAA led 11-2 after the 3rd.
Ryan Iles completed his hat trick with 11:27 left to play in the contest. Joseph Loria continued to hold strong in goal, shutting out Clarke for the entire 2nd half. Jake Brigman finished scoring in the game with his second marker and the Cardinals secured a 13-2 win.
Concordia improves to 1-1 on the season. The Cardinals will head on the road to face Montreat College on Friday, March 6. The game is set to begin at 3:30pm.
