William Penn Falls Short in Tight Top-10 Matchup

Fort Wayne, Ind.--The No. 7-ranked William Penn men's lacrosse team battled hard but came up just short in a 14-12 loss to No. 4 Indiana Tech Friday.

The Statesmen (3-2) faced a two-goal deficit for much of the game, despite outshooting the Warriors (7-1) 51-48.

William Penn wasted no time making its mark in the first quarter. Garrett Katrana (Fr., Parker, Colo., Industrial Technology) opened the scoring with an unassisted goal at the 12:19 mark. Indiana Tech quickly answered, but the Statesmen regained the lead when Kenny Bohney (Jr., Moorhead, Minn., Exercise Science) found the back of the net off a pass from Breck Putzier (Sr., Minneapolis, Minn., Exercise Science). The Warriors added another goal, but just 20 seconds later, Putzier scored with a pass from Katrana. Indiana Tech finished the period strong, netting three goals in the final seven minutes to take a 5-3 lead.

The second quarter mirrored the first, with both teams exchanging goals. Putzier tallied the first goal of the period with an unassisted score. Bohney and Daniel McQuade (Sr., Tucson, Ariz., Political Science) added two more goals for the Statesmen. However, Indiana Tech answered with two goals of its own before Katrana stopped their momentum, assisting Everett Breniser (Fr., Centennial, Colo., Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management) on a goal. The Warriors took a 9-7 lead into the half.

The third quarter began with Bohney scoring off an assist from Nate Blasingame (Sr., Portland, Ore., Business Management). The teams then traded goals before Indiana Tech added two consecutive tallies. William Penn responded with two goals of its own, with the third period ending in a tight 12-11 deficit.

In the final quarter, both teams struggled to find offense early. Indiana Tech broke the silence with a goal at 11:01, but William Penn responded at 5:58 when Putzier scored off an assist from Katrana. Unfortunately, the Warriors sealed the win with a final goal in the last minute, securing a 14-12 victory.

Putzier led the Statesmen with three goals on 13 shots and four assists. Bohney also scored three goals, while Katrana contributed one goal and four assists.

Defensively, William Penn excelled in several areas, including ground balls, where they held a 44-32 advantage. Bohney, Max Standage (Sr., Gilbert, Ariz., Business Management), and Bryce Campbell (Jr., Boise, Idaho) each grabbed eight ground balls, with Blasingame adding seven. The Statesmen were also dominant at the faceoff X, winning 19 of 29 faceoffs, with Kameron Brown (So., Woodinville, Wash., Business Management) leading the way with a 6-for-9 performance, while Campbell went 12-for-18.

Despite the strong defensive showing, William Penn struggled with turnovers, committing 32 to Indiana Tech's 21. Both teams performed well on clears, with William Penn going 11-for-12 and Indiana Tech clearing 11 of 13 attempts.

"This one stings, but I'm proud of the guys for their effort from start to finish," said Head Coach Luke Christiansen. "We can use this experience to grow and build towards making a deep run in nationals. We have all the tools to be a special team if we embrace the growth opportunities in front of us.

Next Up: William Penn continues its road trip with a game against No. 10 Concordia (MI) in Ann Arbor, Mich., Saturday at 1:00 p.m.