MILWAUKEE, Wis. — 6th-seeded Illinois Tech men's lacrosse, attempting to overcome a six-goal second quarter outburst from 3rd-seeded Milwaukee School of Engineering in their Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference quarterfinal match Saturday afternoon at Viets Field, pulled within one goal after a
Cooper Leonard score with just under 11 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately for the Scarlet Hawks, that would be their last tally of the match, as the host Raiders pulled away with four more goals en route to their 15-10 victory, ending the Hawks' 2026 campaign.
Illinois Tech finishes their season with a record of 7-11 overall. MSOE has a record of 13-5 overall and advances to take on number 2 seed Concordia Wisconsin Wednesday in Mequon, Wisconsin.
How It Happened
The first quarter began with both Illinois Tech and MSOE competing intensely, with MSOE initially taking control. MSOE's Carter Stahl scored the opening goal at 11:11, assisted by Isaac Johnston, followed by a goal from Jack Civottolo at 9:05, giving the Raiders a 2-0 lead. Illinois Tech responded with a series of goals, starting with
Joseph Beaudoin at 7:10, assisted by
Canyon Kuchel.
Jaeger Breault tied the score at 6:45, and
Victor Bivona's goal at 6:25, assisted by
Altan Brown, gave Illinois Tech the lead. The period ended with Illinois Tech ahead, 3-2.
In a tightly contested second quarter, the Raiders seized momentum early as Cole Karst scored with an assist from Andrew Toman just 19 seconds into the period. Beaudoin answered for the Scarlet Hawks at 13:14 with a goal assisted by
Alexander Stokrp, leveling the score at 4-4. Dawson Smith then led a scoring surge for MSOE with two goals, including an unassisted effort at 8:21, pushing the Raiders ahead. Illinois Tech's
Colin Markoski and Breault each found the net, reducing the deficit, but MSOE maintained its lead, ending the quarter 8-6.
In the third quarter, the Raiders gained early momentum with Karst scoring a goal at 13:58, assisted by Will Malecha. Illinois Tech responded with a goal from
Connor Montgomery at 11:43, leveling the intensity. Montgomery added another goal at 1:37, narrowing MSOE's lead to 10-9. However, the Raiders maintained their edge with Johnston and Paul Brueck scoring, the latter at 0:57 with an assist from Smith, ending the period with MSOE leading 11-9.
Illinois Tech's effort in the fourth quarter saw an early goal by
Cooper Leonard, assisted by
Diego Sosa, narrowing the gap with the Raiders. Despite this momentum, MSOE responded swiftly with Smith scoring at 10:07, followed by a solo goal from Johnston less than a minute later, boosting their lead. The quarter continued with Karst scoring at 1:38, assisted by Johnston, and Alex Lo adding another goal at 0:33. Illinois Tech struggled to regain its footing as the period concluded with a score of 15-10 in favor of MSOE.
Scarlet Hawk Standouts
Joseph Beaudoin
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- 2 goals
- 1 assist
Connor Montgomery
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- 2 goals
- 4 shots on goal
Jaeger Breault
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- 2 goals
- 4 shots on goal
Ryan Littler
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- 13 saves
- 3 ground balls
Owen Dewysockie
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- 4 ground balls
- 3 caused turnovers
Duwayne Aikins
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- 4 ground balls
- 6 faceoff wins
MSOE Top Performers
Paul Brueck
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- 1 goal
- 4 ground balls
- 1 game-winning goal
Cole Karst
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- 4 goals
- 7 shots
- 5 shots on goal
Graden Jansen
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- 23 faceoffs won
- 13 ground balls
Isaac Johnston
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- 3 goals
- 2 assists
- 6 shots
Dawson Smith
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- 3 goals
- 3 assists
- 7 shots
Game Notes:
- Illinois Tech falls to 2-5 lifetime against MSOE.
- Illinois Tech recorded 24 successful clears in the game, exceeding their season average of 16.06.
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Alexander Stokrp registered 5 shots, exceeding their season average of 2.41.
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Connor Montgomery scored at least 2 goals in 3 consecutive games.
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Diego Sosa recorded at least 5 shots in 18 consecutive games.
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Jaeger Breault achieved a season-high of 2 goals in a single game.
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Joseph Beaudoin scored 2 goals for the third consecutive game.
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Owen Silverman achieved a season-high of 5 ground balls.
