Waukesha, Wis. — Elmhurst men's lacrosse put together a dominant all-around performance on Wednesday afternoon, dismantling Carroll (WI) 16-4 in a CCIW matchup at Schneider Stadium. With the win, the Bluejays improved to 11-2 overall and 2-1 in conference play, while the Pioneers dropped to 5-8 (0-3 CCIW).
The Bluejays wasted no time establishing control, racing out to a 7-1 lead in the opening quarter. Elmhurst scored early and often in a first period flurry, with Austin Evans, Hunter Hernandez, Brent Diehl, Fischer Son, and Pete Grebe all contributing to the scoring barrage. Hernandez, who finished with three goals, netted two in the first quarter alone, while Son added a pair in quick succession.
After the offensive fireworks of the opening period, Elmhurst kept the pressure on in the second, tacking on two more goals to head into halftime with a commanding 9-1 advantage. Hernandez completed his hat trick midway through the second, while Son capped his own three-goal performance late in the frame. Elmhurst outshot Carroll 30-9 in the first half and forced 10 Pioneer turnovers.
The Bluejays continued their balanced attack in the third quarter, with Landon Davis taking over the scoring duties. Davis found the net twice in the period, once unassisted and once off a feed from Diehl, before Diehl added his second goal to close out the frame. Though Carroll briefly cut into the deficit with a goal from Roman DeAngelis, they still trailed 12-2 entering the fourth.
In the final quarter, Elmhurst delivered the knockout blow. Davis completed his hat trick just over a minute in, and Diehl followed with his third to become the fourth Bluejay with a hat trick on the afternoon. Charlie Ferree and Kyle Taylor added insurance goals to stretch the lead to 16-2. Carroll managed two late goals from Luke Bridges and Anthony Defilippis, but the outcome was never in doubt.
Elmhurst's offense was efficient and diverse, with nine different players scoring and five registering multiple points. Diehl led all players with five points (3G, 2A), while Davis, Son, and Hernandez each finished with three goals. Joe Latorre and Cullen McManaman each contributed two assists. Defensively, the Bluejays limited Carroll to just nine shots on goal and forced 22 turnovers. Goalie Noah Mickelson made five saves over 45 minutes to earn the win.
Elmhurst outshot Carroll 51-20 and dominated at the faceoff dot, winning 21 of 23 draws. The Bluejays also collected more than twice as many ground balls (36-17) and converted on their lone man-up opportunity.
FOLLOW THE BLUEJAYS
Be sure to keep up with all Elmhurst University Athletics content by following the Bluejays on Twitter (@elmhurstbluejay), Facebook (Elmhurst University Athletics) and Instagram (@elmhurstbluejays), and tune in to elmhurstbluejays.com for the latest news and information.
