ST. PAUL, MINN. – The University of Northwestern men's lacrosse team came up short against the University of Dubuque [3-2] Saturday afternoon on home turf, dropping the contest 12-6 to the visiting Spartans. With the loss, UNW falls to 1-2 on the season.

Wasting no time getting on the scoreboard, Northwestern knocked in three goals to outshine Dubuque's one to front a 3-1 lead at the close of the first quarter. Both teams then had a strong performance in the second, with UD netting four goals, while UNW added two to balance the score 5-5 at the halftime break.

Throughout the third, the Spartans were the only team to find the back of the net, allowing them to take the lead, 6-5. Dubuque then tacked on six more goals in the final quarter, while Northwestern tallied one, to secure a 12-6 win over the home Eagles.

Sophomore Keller Stephens (Lino Lakes, Minn./Mounds View) led the purple and gold with five goals on eight shots, while teammate Christian Erickson (Buffalo, Minn./Delano) noted the only other goal for UNW. On the defensive end, Goalkeeper Zach Shockencey (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater) played an outstanding game, as he finished the mid-day match with an impressive 17 saves.

As a team, the Eagles concluded with a grand total 21 shots, 13 ground balls, and went 13-for-17 on clears.

Northwestern will continue its home stand Saturday, March 17, when they host Augustana College. The competition is set to get underway at 11:30 a.m. at Reynolds Field. Fans unable to attend can find live gameday links at www.unweagles.com.