William Penn Takes Down Clarke in Home Opener

Oskaloosa–The No. 7-ranked William Penn Statesmen men’s lacrosse team put on an impressive display in its home opener, cruising to a 25-6 victory over Clarke in a Heart of America Athletic Conference showdown Monday.

The Statesmen (3-1, 2-0 Heart) dominated the game, outshooting the Pride (1-4, 0-1 Heart) by a commanding 68-28 margin.

William Penn wasted no time asserting itself in the first quarter. Daniel McQuade (Sr., Tucson, Ariz., Political Science) opened the scoring just 1:18 into the game, receiving an assist from Everett Breniser (Fr., Centennial, Colo., Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management). Breniser would go on to play a pivotal role offensively, scoring an unassisted goal shortly thereafter. Breck Putzier (Sr., Minneapolis, Minn., Exercise Science) also found the back of the net, and McQuade added another goal off an assist from Garrett Katrana (Fr., Parker, Colo., Industrial Technology). Breniser capped the period with another goal, this time off a pass from Putzier, before Clarke managed a late tally at the 4:57 mark.

Kenny Bohney (Jr., Moorhead, Minn., Exercise Science) took over in the second, accounting for five goal involvements in the Statesmen’s seven-goal outburst. Breniser began the period with a goal off an assist from Bohney at 12:26. Bohney then got on the scoreboard himself with a goal off a Putzier assist. Breniser added another goal, and Bohney scored his second of the game at 10:03. Clarke mounted a brief response with two consecutive goals, but William Penn quickly regained control with goals from Bohney and Breniser, followed by a score from Katrana to end the half with a commanding 13-3 lead.

After the break, Bohney kept up his momentum, contributing to the first two goals of the period, assisting Putzier and Katrana. Bohney then added two more goals—one unassisted and the other assisted by Nate Blasingame (Sr., Portland, Ore., Business Management). Clarke briefly halted the Statesmen’s offensive flow with two quick goals, but could do little else as William Penn closed out the quarter with four more goals, extending its lead to 21-5.

The Statesmen slowed down in the final period, but still managed to add four more goals, with Putzier scoring twice, Katrana adding one, and Breniser rounding out the scoring. Clarke managed a lone goal at 2:20, but the outcome was never in doubt as William Penn sealed the 25-6 win.

Bohney was the standout offensive performer for the Statesmen, registering 14 shots and leading all players with seven goals and five assists. Putzier led the team in shot attempts with 15, scoring four goals and adding four assists. Breniser also had a strong performance, converting seven goals on just 10 shots. Katrana contributed three goals on 13 shots, while Blasingame provided five assists in the win.

Defensively, Max Standage (Sr., Gilbert, Ariz., Business Management) was a force, scooping up 13 ground balls to help the Statesmen dominate ground ball control 39-14. William Penn also excelled in faceoff wins, taking 22 of 33 attempts, with Bryce Campbell (Jr., Boise, Idaho) leading the way at 14-for-16. Kameron Brown (So., Woodinville, Wash., Business Management) added an 8-for-15 performance.

Despite committing 20 turnovers, the Statesmen were much stronger in clearing the ball, successfully completing 19 of 25 attempts. Clarke struggled in this area, managing only 16 clears out of 24 attempts.

“We’re moving closer towards our goals of winning the conference,” said Head Coach Luke Christiansen. “Proud of the guys for executing and maintaining our composure at a high level throughout.”

Next Up: William Penn will travel to Fort Wayne, Ind., to face No. 4 Indiana Tech Friday at 6:00 p.m.