Marquette men’s lacrosse was searching for its first win of the season Saturday afternoon at Cleveland State. After two losses on their home turf at Valley Fields, it seems like all they needed was a change of scenery, as the Golden Eagles (1-2) clinched their first victory against the Vikings (0-4) 9-7.
From the opening faceoff, there was no question that either side would let up their pressure.
Setting the tone early with its defense, Marquette held Cleveland State to a shot clock violation on the Vikings’ first possession. Trading shot attempts, junior attacker Carsen Brandt found the look he needed to boost the momentum at the 7:42 mark of the match, marking his sixth goal of the season. But it wasn’t long after that that the Vikings saw the back of the net twice in a row, closing out the quarter just one goal ahead of the Golden Eagles.
Both teams remained scoreless in the second frame after saves from both goalies kept the scoring to a minimum. Marquette’s senior goalie Lucas Lawas finished the afternoon with 13 saves, while Cleveland State’s Justin Dalum closed it out with 18. Athleticism from both goalies’ abilities to block shots built up immense pressure for both teams throughout the match.
Marquette’s senior midfielder Jake Bair made his way across the field, looking for open shots. He could not find his way around Dalum. Just when Marquette thought they were in the clear to head into the locker room at half, sophomore midfielder Adam Van Voorhis snuck in a goal with four seconds on the clock to extend the Vikings’ lead by two.
The Golden Eagles were hoping to find some kind of momentum in the third frame. That hope was quickly shut down after goals from Van Voorhin and junior midfielder Layton Speer quickly extended a five-goal run.
Down by four, it was Brandt once again to spark the momentum. Charging toward the leftside alley, Brandt tossed the ball over the crease to graduate attacker Nolan Rappis for a goal at the 8:40 mark. Now, it was clear that Marquette was playing with more urgency.
A shot from junior longstick midfielder Jackson Nichols went wide. Then a shot from senior attacker Matt Caputo was blocked. Brandt shot wide, but it didn’t matter. The Golden Eagles were getting better looks than they did in the first half.
Continuing the fire that was ignited, Marquette’s offense put on a show in the back half of the third quarter, making it a 4-5 game. The spark was there; it just needed to be fueled even more.
And it was, as the Golden Eagles found their way to a seven-goal run between the end of the third frame and the beginning of the fourth.
Up by three, two back-to-back Vikings’ goals forced pressure on Marquette, but it was junior attacker Tucker Mullen who sealed the deal with a minute to go in the match.
It was a rapid defense, a controlled offensive looks and a hat trick from Rappis allowed the Golden Eagles to get out of Cleveland alive.
This recap was written by Raquel Ruiz. She can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter/X @RaquelRuizMU.
