Men’s Lacrosse Nearly Pulls Off Upset at No. 8 Dickinson
CARLISLE, Pa. – The Illinois Wesleyan University men’s lacrosse team went toe-to-toe with eighth-ranked Dickinson College Saturday, March 11, but ultimately saw its upset bid fall short, 11-9. The setback snapped IWU’s three-game win streak and evened its record at 3-3 on the year, while the Red Devils remain undefeated at 5-0 on the year.
Senior Connor Kiichle (Vancouver, Wash.-Skyview) tallied a team-best three points with a goal and a pair of assists, while juniors Ike Eastburn (Colorado Springs, Colo.-Cheyenne Mountain) and Bob Boone (San Diego, Calif.-Notre Dame) added two goals each. Junior Gage Black (Peoria, Ill.-Dunlap) and senior Carson Kiichle (Vancouver, Wash.-Skyview) tallied two-point showings via one goal and one helper.
Junior Michael Campagna (Arlington Heights, Ill.-Saint Viator) paced the team with six ground balls and four caused turnovers. Sophomore Colin Tervo (West Linn, Ore.-West Linn) recorded four ground balls and was credited with 10 saves in goal.
A three-goal run spanning the final three minutes of the first quarter and the first minute of the second saw Dickinson take a 5-4 lead before IWU responded with a run of its own.
Carson Kiichle found Eastburn for a goal at the 12:27 mark to level the game at five, before Connor Kiichle fed Eastburn for the go-ahead goal less than a minute and a half later. Boone finished off the run with an unassisted strike with 7:09 on the clock, upping the Titan advantage to 7-5.
After DC scored twice in the final 3:11 of the half sent the game to the break tied at seven. The Red Devils scored the only two goals of the third quarter and the first two of the fourth to stake an 11-7 advantage.
Connor Kiichle got the comeback rolling with a goal with just over eight minutes to play. Then, after Nick Schroeder’s (Waunakee, Wis.-Waunakee) win at the X, Black fired in a goal to pull IWU within two, 11-9.
With just under eight minutes to play, Illinois Wesleyan kept the pressure on the Dickinson defense, but could not break through.
The Titans travel to Oberlin, Ohio for a non-conference battle Tuesday, March 14, against Oberlin College. Game time is set for 4 p.m. ET.
