William Penn Dismantles Missouri Valley with 24-1 Win

Oskaloosa--The No. 10-ranked William Penn men's lacrosse team dominated Missouri Valley in a 24-1 victory Tuesday in a Heart of America Athletic Conference showdown.

The Statesmen (6-3, 5-0 Heart) outshot the Vikings (0-5, 0-5 Heart) by a commanding 77-11 margin.

William Penn wasted no time asserting control, racing out to a 7-0 lead in the first quarter. Daniel McQuade (Sr., Tucson, Ariz., Political Science) got things started with a goal off an assist from Seth Read (Sr., Phoenix, Ariz., Psychology). Nate Blasingame (Sr., Portland, Ore., Business Management) followed with a goal, assisted by Garrett Katrana (Fr., Parker, Colo., Industrial Technology). Blasingame then set up Kenny Bohney (Jr., Moorhead, Minn., Exercise Science) for another score. Max Taylor (Sr., Minneapolis, Minn., Business Management) added his name to the scoreboard off an assist from Breck Putzier (Sr., Minneapolis, Minn., Exercise Science), followed by a goal from Putzier off a pass from Katrana. Katrana netted a goal before Putzier capped the quarter with a score, assisted by Blasingame.

The Statesmen continued their dominance into the second quarter. Bohney scored the first goal off a Blasingame pass. Putzier added a goal, followed by back-to-back scores from Katrana (assisted by Blasingame), Read (assisted by Putzier), and Taylor (assisted by Blasingame). Taylor then scored again, assisted by Putzier, and Blasingame contributed with another goal off a Putzier pass. Putzier added one more tally at 0:11 before Katrana wrapped up the half with a goal, assisted by Max Standage (Sr., Gilbert, Ariz., Business Management).

In the third quarter, McQuade opened the scoring again at 13:31, followed by an assist from McQuade to Read at the 11:15 mark. Blasingame tallied another goal off a pass from Katrana, and McQuade added another goal off a pass from Blasingame. Putzier, McQuade, and Taylor all scored as the Statesmen stretched their lead to 23-0 heading into the final quarter.

In the fourth quarter, the Statesmen slowed their offensive attack. Blasingame, assisted by Read, scored William Penn's final goal of the game. Missouri Valley was able to break the shutout, scoring their lone goal of the contest in the closing minutes.

Putzier led the charge for the Statesmen with five goals, 20 shots, and five assists. Blasingame contributed four goals on 11 shots, along with six assists. Taylor and McQuade each tallied four goals, with McQuade adding one assist. Katrana registered three goals, three assists, and 13 shots.

Defensively, William Penn dominated possession, holding a 42-7 edge in ground balls. Standage secured nine ground balls, while Katrana scooped up eight. Bryce Campbell (Jr., Boise, Idaho) and Bohney also contributed with six and five ground balls, respectively. At the faceoff X, the Statesmen were nearly flawless, winning 24 of 28 faceoffs. Campbell went 11-for-13, and Kameron Brown (So., Woodinville, Wash., Business Management) won 8 of 10. William Penn committed just 12 turnovers, compared to Missouri Valley's 28.

"One step closer to our goals. A good team effort," said Head Coach Luke Christiansen. "Particularly liked the effort from the young guys and the amount of assisted goals."

Next Up: The Statesmen face Columbia (Mo.) in the Heart of America Game of the Week at Statesmen Community Stadium Friday at 6:00 p.m.