Men's Lacrosse Drops Pivotal Season Finale to Bluejays
Apr 25, 2015
BOX SCORE
ELMHURST, Ill. - With a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin tournament berth on the line, the University of Dubuque men's lacrosse team couldn't hold on to a 2-1 lead and fall to Elmhurst (Ill.), 20-4, on Saturday afternoon.
The Spartans and Bluejays came into the game tied for fourth in the conference standings with identical 1-3 CCIW records. Tyson Svoboda and Efrain Rodriguez both scored to give UD the slight 2-1 advantage less than six minutes into the game. Elmhurst (Ill.) (7-8, 2-3 CCIW) countered with a crucial seven-goal run in the first half put UD in an 8-2 hole. Svoboda would score again with 9:15 in the second, but the Blujays had built a lead they would fail to relinquish as they grabbed the CCIW's final tournament spot.
UD (2-10, 1-4 CCIW) was outshot 55-10 and won five faceoffs on the afternoon. Defensively, Kyle Mullins tallied a game-high 18 saves to finish the CCIW season as the saves leader with 85. Mullins' save total nearly doubled the nearest goalkeeper in the league.
Svoboda finished with two goals and one ground ball to lead the Spartans. The Omaha, Neb. led the Spartans with 15 goals on the season.
Connor Kern collected a team-high four ground balls, while Rodriguez caused a team-high four turnovers.
The Spartans conclude their season with a fifth place finish in the CCIW after being picked sixth in the preseason poll. UD won its first game in program history at Defiance (Ohio) on March 21 and its first conference victory at Carroll (Wis.), 12-4, on March 28.
