Statesmen Dismantle Siena Heights in Top-10 Battle
West Des Moines–The William Penn men’s lacrosse team threw the rankings out of the window and pounded #9 Siena Heights (Mich.) 22-8 in non-conference action Saturday.
#8 WPU (3-1) outshot the Saints 66-26 as it got back on the field for the first time since it lost a heartbreaking overtime game to top-ranked Keiser (Fla.) since February 10.
The navy and gold quickly put that contest in the rearview Saturday as they scored just over a minute into action on an unassisted goal by Breck Putzier (Jr., Minneapolis, Minn., Exercise Science).
Wyatt Christensen (So., Madison, Wis., Biology) then put away a pass from Boston Romero (Sr., Las Vegas, Nev., Business Management) two minutes later before Kenny Bohney (So., Moorhead, Minn., Exercise Science) found the netting. Bohney again, with an assist from Christiansen, capped the first-period scoring with 56 ticks left to make it 4-1.
Bohney continued his onslaught to start the second period, while Nate Blasingame (So., Portland, Ore., Business Management) put himself on the board unassisted. Romero was then good for two more, but the Statesmen lead remained three at 9-6 as the squads hit the locker rooms.
Christensen added to his goal tally in the third with two winners, and the Statesmen finished strong by outscoring SHU 10-2 down the strength. Romero put away three in the final stanza, while Christiansen accounted for two more.
Romero topped WPU’s offense with six goals and one assist, while Christensen finished with five winners and two helpers. Putzier’s day include three goals and five assists, while Blasingame posted one goal and two assists.
Eric Garigan (Grad., Tucson, Ariz., Master’s of Organizational Leadership) made the offensive efforts hold up as he stopped 12 Siena Heights shots.
“This was a great team win and I am proud of our guys for the grit they showed,” Head Coach Luke Christiansen said. “Having last week cancelled and quite a few guys battling illness this week, it took us a second to get things going. The exciting thing about this team is that we beat a ranked opponent by 14 goals and I can confidently say we did not play our anywhere near our best lacrosse.”
Next Up: William Penn travels to St. Louis, Mo. next Thursday to face Missouri Baptist in non-conference play at 7 p.m.
