KENOSHA, Wis. — It was a big time rivalry match on the campus of Carthage College, as the men's lacrosse team came out on top in a duel with North Central on Sunday at Art Keller Field 15-14 in extra time.

The visitors took an early lead, scoring the first two goals in the match before George Burchfield got the Firebirds (10-4, 3-1 CCIW) on the board. However, the Cardinals (6-7, 2-3 CCIW) would go up 4-1 as the first period neared its close, before Burchfield found the back of the net once more to make it 4-2 after the first 15 minutes of action.

Four unanswered goals would put the home team up on top, as Burchfield and Andrew Johnson helped make it a 6-4 lead for Carthage. Andrew Frey would respond to a score from North Central, putting the Firebirds up by by two, 7-5 at the halftime break.

The Cardinals struck first in the third frame, with Johnson and Alec Gern scoring two for the Firebirds to set the score at 9-6. Two goals from North Central in the closing moments of the third period made it 11-10 headed into the final quarter. While the visiting team took a one goal lead with just over three minutes remaining, Frey scored with a minute left on the clock to tie the game at 14 and force overtime. Under a minute into the extra action, Frey scored again on a broken play in front of the Cardinals net to clinch the victory.

Carthage will wrap up their conference and regular season schedule on the road for the 2022 season, as they're set to travel to Elmhurst on Wednesday, April 27 for a 7:30 p.m. contest.
 

Head Coach David Neff

"I am so proud of everyone on the team. It was a roller coaster game and the guys just stayed the course. NCC is a very talented team but we have been trying to improve every week, and the guys are buying in more and more. We were a better team today and that's what matters. We felt good going into the game. It's amazing how athletics' culture can spread because the guys were really fired up after the volleyball match last night. I think it gave them a mental boost to be more confident and know that we represent something special here at Carthage. We have two more left but I think this one gets us into the CCIW tournament."
 

Quick Facts

• George Burchfield and Andrew Johnson kept their incredible seasons going today, each contributing six points on offense.
• For the second time this season, Burchfield scored six goals in a single game, tying him for the eighth-most in program history.
• For the eighth time this season, Blake Raphael posted double-digit saves in goal for the Firebirds, collecting 13 today.
• The team leader in ground balls, Sam Wallce scooped up five loose balls today and has grabbed five our more GB's in six matches this year.

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