CHICAGO, ILL. – The University of Northwestern men's lacrosse team opened up their 2020 campaign in the Windy City, taking on the Scarlett Hawks of Illinois Institute of Technology. The Eagles tally their first win of the season, defeating fellow Midwest Lacrosse Conference (MLC) opponent by a final score of 21-7.
 
Northwestern found their offensive groove early and often, firing on all cylinders. Senior Noah Vander Kooi (Buffalo, Minn./Buffalo) opened the game scoring three-straight unanswered, unassisted goals in the first quarter. The Scarlett Hawks were able to sneak two goals past the Eagle defense in the first half, one in each quarter, but the UNW offense was too much to handle with five different Eagles score in the opening half. Northwestern ended the second quarter on a 5-0 run to take a 12-2 lead into halftime.
 
The UNW squad did not show any signs of slowing down after the break. They held the Scarlett Hawks scoreless, while adding three goals of their own from Chase Marlenee (Northfield, Minn./Forest Lake), Tommy Alderson (Moorhead, Minn./Moorhead) and Vander Kooi to go up 15-2 entering the fourth quarter. Northwestern continued to spread the love in the final frame, outscoring the Illinois Tech 6-5.
 
Nine different Eagles found the back of the net on the contest, including career-first goals for freshman Alderson and Evan Anderson (Blaine, Minn./Blaine). Vander Kooi led the UNW offense, finishing with seven goals and five assists. Fellow senior Keller Stephens (Lino Lakes, Minn./Mounds View) added five goals and five ground balls, respectively. Marlenee finished with a trio of goals to go along with five ground balls. In his first game in net in a UNW uniform Jakob Bakken (Roseville, Minn./Roseville) tallied 16 saves in the win.
 
Northwestern will travel to Iowa to take on Dubuque University on Thursday, March 5. For all things UNW lacrosse, fans can visit www.unweagles.com and follow @unw_lacrosse on Instagram and Twitter.