ELMHURST, Ill. - In a high-octane matchup between two nationally recognized programs, The Elmhurst University men's lacrosse team fell to Denison, 17-12, at a packed Langhorst Field.

Denison pulled away early and held off a late push from Elmhurst to secure the road win. The Big Red, now 9–4 on the season, rode a dominant first-half performance—scoring 11 goals through two quarters—to set the tone. Elmhurst, now 10–1, battled valiantly, especially in a spirited fourth quarter where they put up five goals, but the early deficit proved too much to overcome.

Despite the loss, several Elmhurst players put together impressive individual efforts. Eli Spence led the Bluejays with five goals and two assists, notching seven points while firing 11 shots, nine of which were on goal. He was especially lethal in the fourth quarter, where he scored three times. Cullen McManaman added two goals, and Kaden Ames matched him with two of his own, both coming in the final two periods. Pete Grebe chipped in a goal and an assist, while Brenden Crouse and Hunter Hernandez each found the net once. On the defensive end, faceoff specialist Tony Vazquez split faceoffs at 15-for-30, and goalkeeper Noah Mickelson recorded 12 saves in a full 60 minutes of action.

Elmhurst opened the scoring with a goal from Cullen McManaman just 1:18 into the game, giving the home crowd a quick reason to cheer. However, that would be the only highlight of the quarter for the Bluejays. Denison responded with an overwhelming five-goal run over the next 11 minutes. Macky Peck started it off with a finish from Kevin Berutich, followed quickly by unassisted goals from Jack Hines and Owen Holder. As the quarter wound down, Denison struck twice in a span of 11 seconds—Collin Murphy scoring off a feed from Quinson, followed by Grant Larson's solo effort—to close the frame with a commanding 5–1 lead.

Elmhurst tried to shift momentum early in the second quarter when Spence converted a man-up opportunity from Pete Grebe to make it 5–2. But Denison kept pouring it on. Liam Gillard and Quinson answered with goals, and although Grebe pulled one back for Elmhurst, the Big Red would score four of the final five goals in the period. Quinson netted three of those himself, showcasing his scoring variety with assists from Jack Moellering and Colin Donegan before capping the run with another unassisted tally. Hunter Hernandez managed a late unassisted goal for Elmhurst, but Quinson struck again with just 13 seconds left in the half to send Denison into the break with a commanding 11–4 lead.

The third quarter was the most evenly matched of the game, with both teams scoring three goals apiece. Denison opened with another quick pair, including an unassisted strike by Moellering and another from Peck, pushing their lead to 13–4. But Elmhurst began to show signs of life. Crouse scored off a setup from Brent Diehl, and after Denison's Berutich responded, McManaman and Ames closed out the frame with back-to-back goals—McManaman going solo, and Ames finishing a well-timed feed from Spence. That late push cut the lead to 14–7 and gave Elmhurst some momentum entering the fourth.

The final quarter saw Elmhurst play with urgency, and for a moment, a comeback seemed possible. Spence scored two quick unassisted goals just 34 seconds apart to open the fourth, narrowing the deficit to 14–9. He then completed the natural hat trick with another goal at 10:27, making it 14–10 and bringing the crowd to life. Denison finally answered through Colin Swanson at 7:20, but Spence struck yet again less than two minutes later to keep the margin at four. In the final two minutes, the game became a flurry of rapid scoring. Quinson added his sixth for Denison with 1:48 left, but Elmhurst answered immediately with Spence's fifth. Cassidy sealed the game for Denison with a final goal at 1:07, cementing the 17–12 result.

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