Chicago, Ill— With an opportunity to clinch a top-4 seed and an opening round home game in the NACC postseason tournament with a win over Lake Forest College Wednesday night, the Illinois Tech men's lacrosse team couldn't overcome a fast start by the visiting Foresters, falling behind 7-0 in the first half en route to a 15-10 defeat at Stuart Field. Illinois Tech finishes the regular season with a record of 7-10 overall, and 7-4 in conference. The Scarlet Hawks claim the number six seed in the conference tournament, and will travel to number three seed MSOE on Saturday for their quarterfinal match. The Foresters clinched the number four seed with an 8-3 record in NACC play, 9-6 overall.
How It Happened
The game commenced with Lake Forest's Brendan Herbert scoring the first goal at 14:08, assisted by Jackson Derosia. Ryan Dousevicz extended the Foresters' lead with a goal at 12:08, with an assist from Macklin Thomas. Carson Pagel added two consecutive goals for Lake Forest, scoring at 8:22 and again at 7:52, widening their lead. A goal by Brant Schuckman at 3:04, assisted by Herbert, capped the scoring for the Foresters. Illinois Tech struggled to convert opportunities, with multiple shots saved by Jacob Lipson, leaving the home team scoreless at the end of the quarter.
In the second quarter, Lake Forest extended its lead with a goal by Aidan Wigton at 10:55, assisted by Jackson Derosia. Liam Smith followed with another goal for the Foresters at 9:23, assisted by Carson Pagel. Illinois Tech responded with
Diego Sosa scoring at 3:33, narrowing the gap. In a dramatic finish to the quarter,
Colin Markoski scored for the Scarlet Hawks as time expired, ending the quarter with both teams scoring two goals each.
The third quarter saw a balanced exchange of goals between Illinois Tech and Lake Forest, with each team recording three goals. Lake Forest struck first with Brant Schuckman scoring at 12:40, assisted by Carson Pagel. Illinois Tech responded swiftly as
Joseph Beaudoin found the net at 11:37, with an assist from
Alexander Stokrp. Aidan Wigton and Carson Pagel added to Lake Forest's tally, while
Connor Montgomery and
Alexander Stokrp scored for Illinois Tech, with Stokrp's goal coming with just 37 seconds remaining in the quarter. Despite the efforts on both sides, the score was 10-5 in favor of Lake Forest by the end of the quarter.
Lake Forest extended its lead with a quick start in the fourth quarter, as Ryan Dousevicz scored just 44 seconds in, assisted by Avary Whitehead. Jackson Derosia and Macklin Thomas added to the tally with goals at 13:03 and 11:29, respectively. Illinois Tech responded with a goal from
Cooper Leonard at 6:57, which spurred a brief rally.
Joseph Beaudoin and
Diego Sosa each found the net, narrowing the gap to 15-8.
Connor Montgomery and Leonard scored late goals, but the effort was not enough as Lake Forest held on to win 15-10.
Scarlet Hawk Standouts
Diego Sosa
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- 2 goals
- 7 shots
Cooper Leonard
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- 2 goals
- 12 shots
- 8 shots on goal
Duwayne Aikins
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- 12 faceoff wins
- 3 ground balls
Connor Montgomery
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- 2 goals
- 1 assist
- 6 shots
Altan Brown
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- 4 caused turnover
Lake Forest Top Performers
Carson Pagel
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- 3 goals
- 3 assists
- 6 shots
Ryan Dousevicz
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- 3 goals
- 1 game-winning goal
- 4 shots on goal
Jacob Lipson
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- 4 ground balls
- 6 saves
- Allowed 2 goals
Brant Schuckman
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- 2 goals
- 7 shots
- 1 ground ball
Game Notes:
- Team - Achieved at least 41 shots in 2 consecutive games.
- Illinois Tech fell to 0-4 lifetime against Lake Forest.
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Colin Markoski - Scored their first goal of the season.
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Cooper Leonard - Achieved a season-high of 12 shots.
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Diego Sosa - Recorded 7 or more shots in 4 consecutive games.
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Joseph Beaudoin - Scored 2 goals in 2 consecutive games.
Up Next
Illinois Tech will face Milwaukee School of Engineering on Saturday, April 25 at 1 p.m. in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for their NACC Men's Lacrosse Quarterfinal match.
