Putzier Scores Five as Statesmen Suffer First Loss of Campaign

Williamsburg, Ky.--The William Penn men's lacrosse team was unable to keep its winning streak going as it fell to #3 Cumberlands (Ky.) 18-7 in non-conference action Friday.

WPU (2-1) was outshot 47-37 (27-22 in shots on goal) against the Patriots (2-0).

The first period was a lopsided affair, as the home team got out to an early 7-0 lead over the Statesmen. The Patriots also scored the initial goal in the second quarter before Breck Putzier (So., Minneapolis, Minn., Kinesiology) scored back-to-back goals, including one being assisted by Wyatt Christensen (Fr., Madison, Wis., Biology).

The scoring kept coming for the navy and gold in the second stanza as Christensen followed Putzier with an unassisted goal of his own. The run eventually came to an end, though, as Cumberlands answered with two more goals.  Fortunately, Kenny Bohney (Fr., Moorhead, Minn.) narrowly beat the buzzer with his only score of the game to pull WPU within six at halftime at 10-4.

William Penn was looking to make up more ground in the third, but the Patriots were not gracious hosts and recorded all three of the period's goals for a sizeable 13-4 edge entering the fourth quarter.

Putzier was again a bright spot for William Penn in the final quarter, producing all three of the squad's goals, but it was not enough as the home team kept the Statesmen at arm's length the rest of the way.

Putzier led WPU with five goals, while Christensen tallied one goal with two helpers.

WPU lost the faceoff battle 15-13 with Ryan Swarts (Jr., Boise, Idaho, Industrial Technology) claiming 10 wins.  The navy and gold also came up short in ground balls (39-33).

Eric Garigan (Jr., Tucson, Ariz., Political Science) recorded seven saves in Friday's loss.

"Some nights are just not your night," Head Coach Luke Christiansen said.  "We dug ourselves into too big of a hole today and paid the price.  Ultimately, all of our goals are still on the table, and we have all of the tools to make a deep run this year.  This game is invaluable in helping us make the right adjustments to reach our goals."

Next Up: William Penn will remain in Williamsburg, Ky. Sunday to face off against #1 Reinhardt at 12 p.m. (CST).