Chicago, Ill. - Jonathan Vitale scored four goals, Jackson Brass and Spencer Meace each added three goals, and the Illinois Tech Men's Lacrosse team downed an overmatched Concordia Chicago Cougars team 16-4 Wednesday night in a NACC matchup at Stuart Field. The win boosted the Scarlet Hawks winning streak to three games, and improved their conference record to 3-2 (6-6 overall). The Cougars fell to 0-6 in NACC play, and 0-11 overall.
The Scarlet Hawks came out firing on all cylinders in the first quarter. Brass gave the Hawks a quick 1-0 lead with an unassisted tally 16 seconds into the match. Brass would score two more goals in the opening quarter, as the Hawks put seven goals past Cougars goalie Peter Borkowski to lead 7-0 heading into the second quarter.
The Hawks continued their onslaught into the second period, with Illinois Tech scoring five more unanswered goals, including a pair by Vitale, to go up 12-0. A late period goal by Jarred Tabor of Concordia completed the first half scoring, with the Hawks taking a 12-1 lead into the break.
The third quarter remained scoreless until the 4:05 mark, when Vitale scored unassisted to push the Hawks lead to 13-1. The Hawks' Jeremy Cohen and Richard Warner each added a goal sandwiched around a lone Cougars' tally to give the Hawks a 15-2 lead entering the final stanza.
Concordia Chicago outscored the Hawks in the final quarter 2-1, but it was not enough to cut into the lead the Hawks had established earlier in the first half of play.
Scarlet Hawks Watch
- Vitale finished with four goals, three ground balls and one caused turnover
- Brass and Meace each added three goals and an assist
- Warner had a goal, two ground balls and two caused turnovers on a night when the senior was honored before the match with his parents in attendance
- Another senior honored before the match, goalkeeper Dominic Reed, played three quarters in relief of starter Zane Handy, making five saves on nine shots faced
- Michael Gingras recovered five ground balls to pace the Hawks, and was 7-8 on faceoffs. John Coyle, Ben Molloy and Juan Bohorquez each recovered three ground balls. Coyle was also 6-8 on faceoffs
Cougars Watch
- Tabor had two goals and an assist for Concordia Chicago, while also recovering four ground balls
- Goalkeeper Peter Borkowski made 12 saves on 28 shots faced
- Casey Dare was 11-13 on face-offs, and recovered eight ground balls
- Ben Martin paced the Sabres with 10 ground balls
Inside The Box Score
- The Scarlet Hawks outshot the Cougars 51-14
- The Hawks held a 31-9 advantage in ground balls
- The Hawks were 12-12 in clear opportunities; the Cougars were 10-17
Up Next
- The Scarlet Hawks return to Stuart Field on Saturday, April 23rd at 3pm CT when they host Beloit College in a NACC matchup on Senior Day.