ST. PAUL, MINN. – The University of Northwestern men's lacrosse team hosted Northland College in their first game back at Reynolds Field for the 2019 season. The non-conference matchup is the fifth meeting all-time between the two squads. Northwestern's strong first half propels the Eagles to a 19-16 victory over the Lumberjacks. With the win, Northwestern improves to 3-1 overall and Northland falls to 2-3.
 
Keller Stephens (Lino Lakes, Minn./Mounds View) got the UNW offense off to a booming start in the opening frame, netting three goals and an assist in the first quarter. Northwestern would hold an 8-2 lead after one quarter of play. Additional goals from Chase Marlenee (Northfield, Minn./Northfield), Mat Anderson (Little Canada, Minn./Roseville), Noah Vander Kooi (Buffalo, Minn./Buffalo), Chase Caswell (Prior Lake, Minn./Prior Lake), and Landon Thurnau (Owatonna, Minn./Owatonna) in the first half helped the Eagles to a 14-6 lead at the break.
 
Northland made a strong push in the second half. Late into the third and early fourth quarter, the Lumberjacks were able to string together three a trio of unanswered goals to cut the UNW lead to 17-14. Northwestern would answer with a pair of goals to widen the lead. The Lumberjacks would not give up, making a late push scoring three goals in the last eight minutes to bring the final score to 19-16.
 
Marlenee and Stephens lead the Eagle offense, with five goals apiece. Marlenee also added 14 ground balls and went 30-41 on faceoffs. Anderson was also able to net four goals on 17 shots. In net, Zach Shockency notched eight saves in the win.
 
Northwestern set to return to Midwest Lacrosse Conference (MLC) play, hosting North Central on Wednesday, March 27 at 7:00 p.m. For all things Eagle lacrosse, fans can follow @unw_lacrosse on Instagram and visit www.unweagles.com.