GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – After a convincing victory over conference foe Pittsburgh the day prior, the men's lacrosse team looked to make it back-to-back wins for the second time this season. They met the Bulldogs from Minnesota-Duluth, who were 7-0 coming into the matchup with a victory over Dayton Sunday morning. Davenport was missing some key parts on Sunday, as players such as Avery Buckius, Jake Hodges and Jake Wilson were scratches for the Panthers.
 
Sunday, March 31
Final Score: Davenport 15 – Minnesota Duluth 8
Records: DU (4-5), UMD (7-1)
Location: DU Turf Field (Grand Rapids, MI)
 
QUICKLY BACKTRACKING
 
The Panthers looked to continue their offensive pressure they built from Saturday's game in to Sunday. It sure started off well as Josh Jubenville set up Blake McDonald to put the Panthers out in front just before the five-minute mark of the first quarter. Just 37 seconds later, the Bulldogs would answer back with a goal from Luke Hannan. Less than a minute later, leading scorer Scott McNamara found a wide-open Connor Nadeau in front of the Davenport net, who then whipped the shot behind his head, and past Ben Stoklas to give the Bulldogs the lead. Passed the halfway mark of the quarter, McNamara would score a goal of his own to give the Bulldogs a 3-1 lead.
 
GETTING BACK ON TRACK
 
The Panthers had to settle down after a first quarter that saw a lot of turnovers, and some missed chances on the offensive end. DU would have a man-up opportunity just two minutes into the second quarter. Jubenville found Stephen Ochsenkehl who buried his 17^th goal of the season to put DU back within one. On the man-advantage once again with less than 10 minutes in the half, Jubenville hooked up with McDonald again as McDonald scored his second to tie the game at 3.
 
MAKE IT, GIVE IT
 
A handful of minutes after McDonald's goal, McNamara potted his second of the game to put Minnesota-Duluth back in front. A couple of minutes later, Jubenville would score a goal of his own to tie the game at 4. Davenport would continue with their momentum, as Steven Payter scored his fifth goal of the season to give Davenport their second lead of the game. Just over a minute later, after Davenport was caught with too many men, McNamara fired a stretch pass to Jared Johnson who scored an easy goal to tie the game, and the teams would head to the break tied at 5.
 
TAKING OVER
 
DU came out flying in the third quarter. McDonald completed the hat trick after Nick Mulcahy caused a turnover at midfield. Jubenville scored back-to-back goals, including another gorgeous behind-the-back shot, and the Panthers were off and running. Following another tally from McDonald, Davenport was sitting comfortably with a four-goal lead.
 
KEEPING IT CLOSE
 
The Bulldogs refused to give up though as with less than 30 seconds left in the quarter, Nadeau would score his second goal of the game to cut back into the Panthers lead. After a Davenport penalty, Hannan would score his second of the game only 11 seconds after the Nadeau goal. Minnesota-Duluth had worked their way back within two heading into the final quarter.
 
EXPLODING TO THE FINISH
 
Davenport wanted to seal the deal against the Bulldogs, and like they have done all season, they found a way to score in bunches. First, Ochsenkehl scored his second of the game. Then, tallies from Jubenville and McDonald put the Panthers up 12-7. Only 49 seconds after McDonald's fifth goal of the game, Matthew Hockert scored to bring the Bulldogs within one. Minnesota-Duluth continued to press, but big saves from Stoklas kept them at bay. The freshman goaltender's confidence was noticeable, making well over 10 saves on the afternoon.
 
DU would end the game with two pretty goals from McDonald, and Jubenville's fifth goal of the game to complete the weekend sweep with a 15-8 victory.
 
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES
 
McDonald ended the game with eight points, while Jubenville scored 12 points on the afternoon, only three points less than the DU single-game record of 15 set by Bryan Larocque back in 2016. Ochsenkehl also chimed in with three points.
 
WHO'S NEXT?
 
The Panthers head down south for a pair of tough matchups down in Nashville. On Saturday, the Panthers will take on South Carolina. The Gamecocks are 9-2, ranked #6 in the country, but are coming off a tough loss against #3 Liberty. This will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools. The game will take place at Vanderbilt University at 1 p.m.
 
Sunday will see Davenport take on the #2 team in the land, Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets are a perfect 11-0, and have just handled Alabama and Auburn with ease this past weekend. Georgia Tech won the only contest between the two back in 2017. The matchup will take place at Father Ryan High School in Nashville at 4 p.m.