ST. PAUL, MINN. – The University of Northwestern men's lacrosse team soared to a triumphant 9-8 victory over Monmouth College [4-2 overall] Friday afternoon on home turf. With the win, the Eagles improve to 2-3 on the season.
UNW's
Christian Erickson (Buffalo, Minn./Delano) got the Eagles on the board first, scoring at the 10:00 mark. MC then answer quickly to raise the score, 1-1. The visiting Scots then added one more goal to the scoreboard before the end of the first frame to lead 2-1.
The second period was similar to the first, with both teams exchanging goals. Northwestern netted another two, while Monmouth added one to level the score 3-3 at the halftime break.
After rallying to a 5-5 score in the third, both teams kept their foot on the gas as they each buried three more goals to make it a 8-8 ball game with a minute left to play in regulation. At the final buzzer,
Noah Vander Kooi (Buffalo, Minn./Buffalo) netted the game-winning goal on a man-up opportunity to secure the afternoon victory, 9-8, over the visiting Scots.
Vander Kooi put together an outstanding performance, as the sophomore midfielder led the pack with five goals on 14 shots. He also scooped four grounders, stated one caused turnover, and noted one assist. Following suit, Freshman
Chase Marlenee (Northfield, Minn./Northfield) tapped in two goals on the contest, while teammates Erickson and
Keller Stephens (Lino Lakes, Minn./Mounds View) added a goal a piece. Marlenee also won an impressive 13-of-16 face-offs and recorded a game-high eight ground balls.
On the defensive end, Goalkeeper
Zach Shockencey (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater) guarded the cage well as he capped off the mid-day battle with 13 saves for the purple and gold.
As a team, Northwestern ended with a season-high 34 shots [18 SOG] and 26 ground balls, finished 15-for-18 on clears, and went a perfect 3-for-3 on man-up opportunities.
The squad will host Marian University tomorrow at 1 p.m. at Reynolds Field. Fans can find more information by visiting www.unweagles.com and by following @UNW_Lacrosse on Twitter.
