ST. PAUL, Minn. – The University of Northwestern men's lacrosse team opened its 2019 campaign by welcoming Johnson & Wales (Colo.) to the West St. Paul Dome Friday afternoon. The Eagles, led by first year Head Coach, Travis Sanders, dominated the contest – scoring 18 goals in the first half enroute to 28-2 final victory.
 
In just their third season as an official NCAA program at Northwestern, the Eagles start the year with a 1-0 mark for the first time.
 
Keller Stephens (Lino Lakes, Minn./Mounds View), who earned a preseason All-America nod from DIIILacrosse.com, started the season out with a career best performance. His nine goals on 13 shots led the way for the Eagles attack.
 
Junior attacker Landon Thurnau (Owatonna, Minn./Owatonna) added eight goals on the day, while Noah Vander Kooi (Buffalo, Minn./Buffalo) – also a preseason All-America pick, added five goals and two assists.
 
Chase Marlenee (Northfield, Minn./Northfield) was credited with a game-high six assists and 10 ground balls. Mat Anderson (Little Canada, Minn./Roseville) was the final Northwestern player to score multiple goals in the opener, scoring three and adding 12 ground balls.
 
The Eagles committed 19 turnovers in the contest, while Johnson & Wales suffered from 41. Northwestern controlled the game from start to finish, recording 66 shots, while the Wildcats took eight.
 
Northwestern will return to action on Saturday, March 9 when they welcome Monmouth College to Reynolds Field for a 3 p.m. faceoff. Northwestern is officially a member of the Midwest Lacrosse Conference beginning this season. The Monmouth match-up marks the start of MLC competition for the Eagles.

Follow UNW men's lacrosse this season by visiting www.unweagles.com.