(Ann Arbor, MI) – No. 6 Concordia men's lacrosse hosted the (RV) Aquinas Saints on Wednesday afternoon to continue WHAC conference play. The Cardinals looked to extend their perfect 5-0 record while Aquinas entered 1-2 overall and receiving votes in the national poll. The game was closely contested and went down to the final minutes, but a game-winning goal from Blake Blaisdell secured a 13-12 win. The victory marked the first win over Aquinas in program history.
Devin Wolever, Hunter McCarty, and Ryan Iles tied for the team lead with 3 goals apiece. Sam Saje had a team-high 10 ground balls. Keshawn Simmons paced the defense with 3 caused turnovers.
Sam Bowling started in net for Concordia, racking up 18 saves. Blake Blaisdell opened scoring just over 3 minutes into the game off an assist from Hunter McCarty. Noah Sorenson found the back of the net to extend the Cardinal lead, but Aquinas responded with 3 goals to go up 3-2. Hunter McCarty tied the game at the 1:48 mark and the score was knotted 3-3 after the 1st.
Ryan Iles began a run of three unanswered goals to begin the 2nd. Hunter McCarty scored just 20 seconds later and Devin Wolever snapped a quick shot in the goal with McCarty drawing the assist. Aquinas ended the run with a goal, but McCarty answered by completing his hat trick with a quick shot off a Devin Wolever assist. The Saints tightened the game with 2 more goals, but Devin Wolever was able to score his second goal before halftime. CUAA led 8-6 heading to the locker room.
Aquinas scored first in the second half, but Ryan Iles countered with his second goal of the game. The teams traded power play goals with Devin Wolever completing his hat trick at the 7:29 mark. Ryan Iles finished off his hat trick late in the quarter as well, but Concordia held on to just a 1-goal lead after the 3rd with an 11-10 advantage.
Noah Sorenson rifled a shot from the right side on the powerplay, scoring his second marker and putting Concordia up 12-10. However, Aquinas managed to tie the game with back-to-back goals. While both teams traded defensive stops, Blake Blaisdell eventually broke the tie with a tally at the 2:56 mark. The Cardinals withstood a flurry of Aquinas shots in the last minutes with Sam Bowling making multiple saves. CUAA was able to hold on to claim the 13-12 win and remain undefeated.
Concordia will play their next game at Taylor on Saturday, April 3 at 1:00pm.
