McLean County Times

The Illinois Wesleyan University men's lacrosse team faced a challenging start to their spring break trip with a 12-9 defeat against the State University of New York-Cortland. The match, held in Colorado Springs on March 13, saw IWU's record fall to 2-3, while Cortland improved to 3-1.

Freshman Timothy McHugh and senior Gage Black led the Titans with four points each. McHugh contributed three assists and one goal, while Black scored all his points through goals. Senior Trystan Seeley added three points, with juniors John Kittoe and Sam Weinberg, along with senior Ethan Hart, also making contributions.

Senior Zo Lombardo was effective at faceoffs, winning 18 out of 23 attempts. Sophomore Michael Rocco won his only faceoff attempt. Black also led in ground balls for the team with four.

Goalkeeper Colin Tervo recorded 15 saves but ended up with a season record of 2-3 after this match. Despite scoring first through Black’s man-up goal assisted by McHugh, IWU struggled as Cortland took a lead they would not relinquish.

In the second period, Black equalized early on before Cortland pulled ahead to a 5-2 halftime lead. The third period saw back-and-forth action; however, despite leveling the score at one point thanks to goals from Seeley and McHugh setting up Black for an outside shot, Cortland edged ahead again.

Kittoe assisted Weinberg for an early fourth-period goal that tied the game once more. Yet Cortland scored three consecutive times before Seeley reduced the gap with an unassisted effort. The final minutes saw IWU unable to close the deficit further.

IWU will continue their spring break series on March 16 against Colorado College at Washburn Field in Colorado Springs.