FREMONT, Neb. — The No. 10-ranked William Penn men’s lacrosse team delivered an emphatic 26-0 shutout victory over Midland in Heart of America Athletic Conference action Wednesday.
The Statesmen (4-3, 3-0 Heart), who were coming off two narrow losses, were relentless from the opening whistle, outshooting Midland (0-7, 0-3 Heart) by a commanding 67-13 margin and leaving little room for the Warriors to get on the board.
William Penn wasted no time, as Seth Read (Sr., Phoenix, Ariz., Psychology) opened the scoring at the 10:24 mark. Breck Putzier (Sr., Minneapolis, Minn., Exercise Science) quickly followed with a goal off a pass from Garrett Katrana (Fr., Parker, Colo., Industrial Technology), and Kenny Bohney (Jr., Moorhead, Minn., Exercise Science) added another unassisted goal at 9:02. Everett Breniser (Fr., Centennial, Colo., Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management) then scored off a pass from Putzier, and the Statesmen went on to add three more unassisted goals from Putzier, Nate Levy (Fr., Lynwood, Wash., Biology), and Nate Blasingame (Sr., Portland, Ore., Business Management). Putzier capped the quarter with an assist from Breniser, giving William Penn an 8-0 advantage after one period.
The second quarter began with Breniser scoring off a pass from Putzier. The Statesmen then struck twice while a man down, with Daniel McQuade (Sr., Tucson, Ariz., Political Science) scoring off a pass from Putzier and Bryce Campbell (Jr., Boise, Idaho) netting an unassisted goal. William Penn’s offense continued to roll, adding five more goals, with Breniser contributing two goals and an assist, while Putzier added a goal and two assists. Max Taylor (Sr., Minneapolis, Minn., Business Management) also found the net off a pass from Read, who registered his first assist. By halftime, the Statesmen held a commanding 16-0 lead.
Out of the break, Katrana added two quick goals, followed by a goal from Breniser off a Putzier assist. Though the offense struggled briefly to connect, the Statesmen regained their rhythm when Putzier fed Taylor for a goal at 3:45. Katrana was the driving force in the third period, contributing another goal off a Putzier assist and two assists as Bohney and Taylor also found the back of the net.
In the fourth quarter, William Penn slowed the pace slightly, with Levy scoring the first goal off a Read assist. Katrana then tallied the final two goals, with assists coming from Breniser and Putzier.
Katrana was the standout performer, leading the offensive charge with five goals and four assists, including nine shots on goal. Breniser followed closely with five goals (on 10 shots) and three assists, while Putzier contributed four goals, 10 shots, and an impressive nine assists to anchor the offense.
Defensively, the Statesmen were just as dominant, outpacing the Warriors 38-20 in ground balls. Max Standage (Sr., Gilbret, Ariz., Business Management) led the team with six ground balls, while Campbell chipped in with five. Breniser and Drew Swanson (Fr., West Des Moines, Iowa, Industrial Technology) each added four. At the faceoff X, William Penn was exceptional, securing 21 of 30 faceoffs, with Campbell going 12-for-13 and Kameron Brown (So., Woodinville, Wash., Business Management) posting a 7-for-14 record.
The Statesmen’s defense was airtight, committing just nine turnovers compared to Midland’s 22. They were also perfect in clears, going 13-for-13, while the Warriors struggled with a 6-for-13 clearing performance.
“Great team effort from start to finish tonight,” said Head Coach Luke Christiansen. “Proud of our young guys for stepping up and taking advantage of their opportunities in helping us to finish the game with the shutout.”
