Allendale, Mich. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse football team fell, 20-13, at Grand Valley State University (Mich.) Saturday night at Lubbers Stadium. The Eagles, ranked fifth in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III, drop to 2-1 on the season while the Lakers, ranked second in NCAA Division II, improve to 3-0.
After UWL was forced to punt on the game's first possession, Grand Valley State (Mich.) went 80 yards in 14 plays and 6:06to take a 7-0 lead on Khalil Eichelberger's one-yard touchdown run. Mathew Bacik converted the extra-point. The Eagles drove to the Lakers' 19-yard line on their ensuing drive, but Michael Stack missed a 36-yard field goal. Grand Valley State (Mich.) maintained its 7-0 lead after the first quarter.
The Lakers drove to the Eagles' 48-yard line to start the second quarter, but Kenneth Jones was stopped by Nate Wilcher and Tate Pitcher on fourth-and-two. UWL needed five plays to tie the game with Zach Weir hitting Jack Studer on a nine-yard touchdown pass with 11:08 left in the second quarter. Stack converted the extra-point to make it 7-7. The Eagles went 51 yards in five plays and 2:29.
Grand Valley State (Mich.) used a 12-play, 46-yard drive in 5:36 to take a 10-7 lead as Bacik hit a 37-yard field goal with 5:27 remaining in the first half. The Lakers forced an Eagles' punt and extended their lead to 17-7 with :30 left on Jones' one-yard touchdown run. The drive went 40 yards in 11 plays and 3:49.
On the opening drive of the third quarter, Grand Valley State (Mich.) drove to UWL's 12-yard line when Vincenzo Meschi was intercepted by Tanner Newlin in the end-zone. The Eagles cut the lead to 17-10 on Stack's 31-yard field goal with 5:39 remaining in the third quarter after a nine-play, 73-yard drive in 5:11.
The Eagles forced a Lakers' punt, but Weir was intercepted by Ian Kennelly at Grand Valley State's (Mich.) 48-yard line with 2:13 left. Tate Pitcher returned the favor on the next possession, intercepting Meschi at UWL's 12-yard line. The Lakers led, 17-10, after three quarters.
After a UWL punt, Grand Valley State (Mich.) took a 20-10 lead with 8:39 remaining on Bacik's 29-yard field goal as the Lakers went 59 yards in seven plays and 4:06. Stack's 39-yard field goal with 4:42 left cut the deficit to 20-13 as UWL used 3:57 to go 54 yards in nine plays.
The Eagles forced a Lakers' punt and took over at their own 35-yard line with 1:48 remaining. UWL advanced to the Grand Valley State (Mich.) 46-yard line, but a pair of incompletions forced the Eagles to turn the ball over on downs with :35 left.
UWL finished with 304 yards, including 35 rushing and 269 passing. The Eagles had 16 first downs in the game, finishing three-of-10 on third-down. Weir went 17-of-27 for 216 yards with one touchdown and one interception while Kyle Haas finished four-of-seven for 53 yards.
Gabe Lynch led the team with eight carries and 45 yards while Studer caught a team-high seven passes for 111 yards with one touchdown. Jack Janke (47 yards) and Braedon Ott (41 yards) each had four catches.
Studer recorded his 11th game with at least 100-yards receiving. He also moved into second in career touchdown catches (29), one behind all-time leader Scott Burnoski (2001-04).
Grand Valley State (Mich.) totaled 398 yards with 153 rushing and 245 passing. The Lakers finished with 20 first downs while going 12-of-18 on third-down. Grand Valley State (Mich.) won the time of possession, 33:30 to 27:00.
Ike Udengwu finished 11-of-18 for 104 yards while Meschi went 4-for-10 for 87 yards with a pair of interceptions. Alex Thole was two-of-two for 54 yards. Jones led the Lakers with 53 yards rushing on 12 carries with one touchdown while Eichelberger finished with 41 yards and 13 attempts and one touchdown. Donovan Johnson had four receptions for 68 yards.
Newlin led UWL's defense with 12 tackles, including one quarterback sack, and one interception. Adam Quam finished with 11 tackles while Pitcher totaled seven tackles and an interception. Ethan Tranel averaged 40.7 yards on three punts.
Kennelly led Grand Valley State (Mich.) with eight tackles and an interception. Trace Hrgich averaged 41.0 yards on two punts.
UWL returns to action Saturday, October 5 hosting UW-Platteville in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) opener for both teams. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Roger Harring Stadium at Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex.
UWL Rally Falls Short in One-Score Loss at Second Ranked Grand Valley State
/seasons/2024/boxscores/20240921_s2i1.xml
2024
UW-La Crosse
13
Grand Valley St.
20
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 20 UW-La Crosse (2-1) | 0 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 13 |
| Grand Valley St. (3-0) | 7 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 20 |
Sep 21, 2024