ALLIANCE, Ohio – Two Baldwin Wallace University men's lacrosse players surpassed the same school record as the Yellow Jackets defeated the University of Mount Union 17-6 in Ohio Athletic Conference action inside Mount Union Stadium.
Both senior attack Blake Bower (Lewis Center/Olentangy) and junior All-OAC midfielder Ben Kubiak (Wooster) broke the school's single-season goal record against the Purple Raiders (6-8, 4-4 OAC). A fellow teammate in senior three-time All-OAC attack Chad Steinwachs (Buffalo, N.Y./Williamsville North) held the previous mark of 42, which was set last season. Kubiak netted a game-high five scores to bring his season total up to 44 goals; however, it is Bower's name that sits on the school record for now after his four-goal performance adds up to 45 goals on the 2019 campaign.
Steinwachs recorded a game-high eight points off three goals and five assists. Kubiak tallied a career-high tying seven points with his five goals and two assists while Bower was not far behind with six points from four goals and two dishes. Senior midfielder Thomas Moesch (Ithaca, N.Y.) tied his career high of three points with a pair of goals and an assist. Senior two-time All-OAC attack Mike Nanosky (Medina) added a pair of goals in the win for the Yellow Jackets (13-2, 7-1 OAC).
In between the pipes, sophomore goalkeeper Trent Davis (Ottawa Hills) made seven saves to register his eighth consecutive win.
Freshman attack Alex Ellison was Mount Union's lone multiple point scorer with one goal and one assist. Five other Purple Raiders each netted one goal.
Bower got his night started early, getting his team on the scoreboard first with his record-tying 42nd goal of the season for a 1-0 BW lead. However, Mount Union wanted to play spoiler and got the Yellow Jackets on their heels with a pair of goals, marking the first time BW trailed in a game since March 27. Steinwachs answered with his first score of the game, evening things up at 2-2, but the Purple Raiders retook the lead with an unassisted goal at the 2:03 mark. Nanosky tied the game for the final time less than a minute later and the first quarter expired with a 3-3 score.
A pair of Bower goals in the midst of a 3-0 run not only broke the school record but also gave BW the lead for good. Mount Union's only score in the period came with 6:02 left on the clock as the Yellow Jacket defense settled down and gave its offense time to work. With his eyes also on the single-season goal record, two Kubiak goals jump started yet another 3-0 run which gave BW a 9-4 halftime lead.
Kubiak's own record-tying mark was the opening score of the second half as the Yellow Jackets added four more goals to their lead. Meanwhile, the Purple Raiders were held scoreless in the period, only taking five total shots and putting one on goal.
After being stymied in the third quarter, Mount Union did not go down quietly, trimming BW's lead to 13-6 with a pair of goals. Steinwachs then assumed control of the Yellow Jacket offense, finding the back of the net once and dishing out two assists on the next three goals before handing things over to Kubiak. In the final five minutes of the game, the junior added a pair of goals to join Bower on the record-breaking night as BW held on to a 17-6 victory.
The Yellow Jackets close out the regular season on the road on Saturday, April 27, against Otterbein University at 8 p.m. inside Memorial Stadium. With a win, BW can secure the No. 2 seed in the 2019 OAC Tournament and would host a semifinal game.
