Sports
The lacrosse club team split its final games to finish the season 1-6 overall
Pointer lacrosse team closes spring season
The Pointer
bhaig870@uwsp.edu
The University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point men’s lacrosse club split their last set of games this past weekend in what were two very close match-ups. The Pointers faced the Minnesota State University-Mankato Mavericks on Saturday and the Iowa State Cyclones on Sunday in final regular season Upper Midwest Lacrosse League play.
In the Pointer’s Saturday game against MSU-Mankato, UW-SP jumped out to an early 3-5 lead in the first half with goals from seniors Michael Babbitts, Abe Foerster and junior Andy Schantz. However, the Pointers’ lack of substitute players on the bench proved to be their undoing in the second half as ball movement slowed.
Foerster was able to put two more goals on the board for the Pointers, but the Mavericks were still able to tie 5-5 at the end of the third. In the fourth quarter it was all Mavericks. Led by attack man Brent Walby, who finished with five goals, MSU-Mankato netted four unanswered goals in the last quarter of play to win the game 9-5.
“The talent was there, but the amount of players was not,” said junior Andy Schantz, referring to the Pointer’s three substitutes and the Maverick’s overwhelming 23.
Junior goaltender Seth Westberg finished with 14 saves, good enough for a .609 save percentage.
The Pointer’s final game against the Iowa State Cyclones was played in cold and wet conditions Sunday. However, this had little effect on the Pointers as they came out scoring with five goals in the first quarter and one in the second, leading at half 6-0.
The Pointers offensive game was lead by dominating face-off play, as seniors, Michael Babbitts had many face-off wins. The Cyclones managed to muster up some offense in the second half, scoring six goals in the third quarter and three in the fourth. The Pointers kept up the scoring with a total of four goals in the second half to end the game 10-9.
The Pointers were led by junior Andy Schantz who netted two goals and three assists, for Foerster, with two goals and two assists. Westberg, with an impressive showing in the fourth quarter, saved 16 shots, finishing with a .640 save percentage.
“Our offense really came to life in the first half; you could tell the guys really wanted to go out on a win … and we managed to hold on in the second half,” said Head Coach Josh Fast.
The Pointers, coming off two close losses in the fourth quarter the previous weekend to Marquette University 6-9 and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee 11-15, finish the season at 1-6, placing seventh in the UMLL.
“My players worked very hard all season. We had to deal with many different adversities such as 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. and midnight to 2 a.m. practices and only having three guys as relief on the sideline,” said Fast.
