RIVER FOREST, ILL. -- Four players scored three goals each to help lead the Trine University men's lacrosse team to a 16-8 win against Concordia University Chicago in non-conference action in River Forest, Ill.
Juniors Jarod Schepp (Oconomowoc, Wisc./Kettle Moraine), Matt Zanichelli (Rolling Meadows, Ill./William Fremd) and freshmen Cabe Maskevich (Shakopee, Minn./Shakopee) and Noah Markus (Woodbury, Minn./East Ridge) all scored three goals to lead the Thunder in that category. Maskevich also added a game-high four assists to finish with seven total points to lead all scorers. Zanichelli also had a multi-assist afternoon with two helpers for five total points against the Cougars.
Juniors Tyler Corless (St Clair Shores, Mich./De La Salle), Brennan Battle (Lowell, Mich./Lowell), freshmen Andrew Douglas (Liberty Twp., Ohio/Lakota East) and Zach Anderson (Crestwood, Ill./Oak Forest) rounded out the goal scorers with a goal each. Corless and Anderson both added assists, while Battle assisted on two other markers to complete their multi-point efforts.
Senior Brett Husar (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles North) also got in on the offensive scoring with one assist.
Junior Dave Keptner (Midland, Mich./H.H. Dow) led Trine in ground balls with seven and was followed by Corless and junior Anthony Marasco (Naperville, Ill./Nequa Valley) with four each. Kepter also led the team in caused turnovers with four.
In net, Marasco played all 60 minutes to get the win and tallied a total of nine saves.
Trine (2-0) tallied the first two goals of the first quarter, both off the stick of Zanichelli, at the 13:07 and 7:34 minute marks to lead, 2-0. Concordia Chicago got on the scoreboard about two minutes later to cut the Trine lead in half, 2-1. The two teams then traded goals with Trine's goal coming with a little under four minutes to go when Maskevich found the back of the net for the first time in the game. After Concordia's next score that made it a one-goal game again (3-2), Maskevich got a second shot past the Cougar netminder to end the scoring in the period and make it a 4-2 contest after the first 15 minutes.
The Cougars got the scoring started in the second quarter before Trine posted three straight markers that included back-to-back goals in less than a minute by Maskevich and Markus. Schepp tallied the other goal for Trine during the run that made it a 7-3 advantage for the Thunder. Both goals scored by Markus and Schepp came on a man advantage. Sixteen seconds following the goal by Markus, CUC scored a shorthanded goal to pull within three points, 7-4. But the half ended with two more Trine goals starting with a score by Corless at the 4:47 mark and then another goal by Schepp with just over a minute remaining as Trine took a 9-4 advantage into the break.
Trine broke the game open in the third quarter with six goals that began with Battle at the 12:17 mark to make the score, 10-4. Douglas and Anderson then struck for goals that came 27 seconds apart later in the period to increase the margin to 12-4. Douglas' goal came on a "man-up" opportunity. The remaining goals same off the sticks by Zanichelli, Schepp and Markus within in the final six minutes as Trine headed into the final quarter leading, 15-4.
In the opening minute of the final period, Markus tallied his third goal of the game and put the Thunder out in front by a commanding, 16-4, margin. CUC made a late run, scoring four goals in the final 5:44, but the outcome was already all but decided as Trine went on to win by the final of 16-8.
The Thunder will look to continue their early hot start when they travel to Hanover, Ind. to take on Hanover College on Wednesday, Mar. 4. The two teams are set to face off at 4 p.m.
