Great Lakes Wire

The NMU lacrosse team secured a place in the GLIAC Championship match following a decisive 15-6 victory over Concordia-St. Paul. Key players Minnie Bittell and Josie Lakosky led the scoring for the Wildcats, each netting five goals. The defensive efforts of Maddi Bast, Dayna Carlson, Natalie Thomas, Kaitlyn Bridger, and Krista Pascavis were significant, resulting in 11 caused turnovers. Lauren Esposito contributed with 11 saves.

Head coach Lindsey (LeMay) Majkrzak expressed satisfaction with the team's performance: "We did a really good job of setting pace and intensity from the start, and we stuck to our gameplan." She praised their ability to handle physicality effectively.

The Wildcats will face Grand Valley State in the GLIAC Championship on Sunday, May 5, at noon.

In the game against Concordia-St. Paul, it was initially challenging offensively for NMU as they were held scoreless for the first 11 minutes. However, their defense limited Concordia to three shot attempts with seven turnovers in the first quarter. Majkrzak noted: "The defensive play in the first was awesome."

Bittell initiated NMU's scoring late in the first quarter, followed quickly by Lakosky. Carlson made an impactful play by causing a turnover and scoring just before the quarter ended.

Majkrzak highlighted Carlson's contribution: "It was such a cool moment for Dayna... she lifted us when we needed to be lifted."

In a strong second quarter, NMU scored four goals to Concordia's two. Bittell played a key role and reached her 100th point of the season during this period.

"[Minnie] is so important to everything we do," said Majkrzak about Bittell's influence on the team's success.

Esposito was crucial defensively with six saves in this quarter alone: "Lauren is such a tough tough girl... She's really composed in the cage."

NMU maintained momentum after halftime with four additional goals in the third quarter. Lakosky completed her hat trick during this period.

Majkrzak commented on Lakosky's performance: "I was really proud of [Josie's] confidence tonight."

The Wildcats effectively shut down Concordia-St. Paul towards game's end with continued defensive strength from players like Carlson, Bast, and Thomas.

"Our defense has been the heart of our team this year," stated Majkrzak regarding their collective effort.

Looking ahead, NMU prepares to compete against Grand Valley State for the championship title on May 5th at noon.