Men’s Lacrosse Closes 2023 Campaign in Second Round of NCAA Tournament
GRANVILLE, Ohio – The Illinois Wesleyan University men’s lacrosse team’s 2023 season came to a close in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, as the Titans fell to No. 13 Denison University, 15-10, Saturday, May 13. IWU finishes the season with an overall record of 15-4.
Junior Gage Black (Peoria, Ill.-Dunlap) led the match with six points on six goals. Junior Bob Boone (Los Angeles, Calif.-Notre Dame) recorded three points for the Green and White, as he net one goal and assisted on two. Junior Michael Campagna (Arlington Heights, Ill.-Saint Viator) captained the defense with three caused turnovers and five ground balls.
IWU held a slim advantage at the X against the top-ranked faceoff team in the nation, finishing 15-for-29. Denison entered the match with a faceoff win percentage of 0.612. Junior Zo Lombardo (Elgin, Ill.-Saint Viator) went 9-for-15, while sophomore Nick Schroeder (Waunakee, Wis.-Waunakee) finished with six wins on 14 attempts.
In between the posts, sophomore Colin Tervo (West Linn, Ore.-West Linn) spent the first half in goal. Tervo was credited with seven saves and seven goals allowed. Junior Alex Oximana (Seattle, Wash.-Bishop Blanchet) finished the match, making three saves while allowing eight goals.
Black put the Titans on the scoreboard first, as he buried a shot at the 12:58 mark in the first period. Denison scored the next two to jump out to a 2-1 lead. Black evened the score at two all, as he used a pass from junior Trystan Seeley (Castle Rock, Colo.-Castle View) to his advantage.
Boone found junior Ike Eastburn (Colorado Springs, Colo.-Cheyenne Mountain) to give the Titans a 3-2 advantage with 2:50 remaining in the first, but Denison used a last-second shot to even the score at three to close out the first 15 minutes of action.
The second period saw Black strike for his third goal of the match at the 14:09 mark, giving the Green and White a 4-3 lead. Boone found Eastburn once again to up the lead to two with 12:11 remaining in the first half.
Denison scored three straight goals to take the lead back, 6-5. Senior Connor Kiichle (Vancouver, Wash.-Skyview) fed Black the ball, who struck for his fourth goal of the match to even the score at six all with 2:14 to go in the first half. Denison closed out the second with a goal at the 1:05 mark to take a 7-6 advantage at the half.
The third period remained scoreless, until the Titans drew a penalty at the 6:19 mark. Seeley sent one over to Black, who evened the score at 7-7 on the extra man opportunity with 6:08 to go in the third.
The two teams traded goals, as Denison jumped out in front before Boone knotted the score at eight apiece. The Big Red once again net the last goal of the period, taking a 9-8 lead with 15 minutes remaining in the match.
Black once again cracked the scoring open, as he buried his sixth goal of the game with 9:37 to go, evening the score at 9-9. But, DU used four straight goals to pull the game out of reach, eventually escaping with a 15-10 win.
With the loss, the Green and White see the careers of seniors Mason Barney (New Haven, Ind.-R. Nelson Snider), Carson Kiichle (Vancouver, Wash.-Skyview), Connor Kiichle, Blake Muschewske (Excelsior, Minn.-Holy Family Catholic), Ryan Payne (Mercer Island, Wash.-Mercer Island), Jackson Fischer (Wheaton, Ill.-Wheaton Warrenville South}, Logan Heinchon (Dripping Springs, Texas-Dripping Springs), Everett Carstens (Tigard, Ore.-Tigard), and Jaxon Hendrickson (Langley, British Columbia-Westtown) come to an end. Head Coach Zach Iannucci will return the remaining 33 of the 42 players on the roster for the 2024 campaign.
