BEVERLY HILLS, Mich. – The Albion College men's lacrosse team squared-off against Augustana College (IL) at the Detroit Country Day School on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020. The Britons (2-0, 0-0) dropped the Vikings (0-2, 0-0) 17-11 to pick up their second non-conference win in a highly physical contest that resulted in five minutes of penalties.

Albion's first goal came on a fast break where junior Caleb Kropp found freshman Sam Puzevic for the score. Just a minute later, senior Jacob Swift scored on the run to give the Britons a slight edge early in the first quarter. Swift and sophomore Jace Conley would both find the back of the net late in the period to elevate the Britons to a 4-0 lead.

After being blanked in the first, Augustana's Steve Robertson and Shane Forsythe were able to put the Vikings on the board to cut the lead to three. Both squads would trade scores as 11 total goals were allowed in the second quarter. At the 1:53 mark, Swift once again snuck one past the Augustana netminder for Albion's only man-advantage score of the game.

The second half opened up with a bang as Kropp scored a long-pole goal just 34 seconds into the third quarter. Then, after nearly six minutes of scoreless play, Conley muscled his way through the Vikings' defense for the hard-fought goal. However, Augustana did not shy away from the seven-goal deficit adding three of their own before the end of the period.

Augustana's Trever Moore and John Calabrese scored back-to-back goals to make it a 13-10 game with 10:07 remaining. The two teams tightened up on defense over the next five minutes causing turnovers and forcing bad shots. Despite this, freshman Sam Puzevic broke the seal with an assist from Swift. The Mattawan native was surgical in the final quarter netting four goals including one crafty backhanded shot as the Britons pulled away with a 17-11 victory.

Puzevic finished the night with six goals on eight shots. Sophomore Fernando Robison recorded a dominant face-off performance winning 25-of-30 (83.3%) and wrangling in 24 groundballs. Sophomore Gerald Haadsma and junior Collin Bowers each shared the ball effectively delivering three assists apiece. Conley and Swift both finished the game scoring four goals. Sophomore goalie Jack Gogonis earned the win today stopping 12 out of 23 shots faced.

"We are happy with our progress, but we also have plenty of work to do," noted Head Coach Jake DeCola. "This time of year, we are just trying to build and get better everyday. Augustana never let up in the game, and they were a good challenge for sure. I am sure we will see a lot of things we can improve once we study the film. All told we are on to next week and glad to be 2-0."

The Britons outworked Augustana on the ground obtaining 48 groundballs compared to the Vikings' 20. Nevertheless, Augustana College (IL) was more efficient in the clear (21-for-30) and man-up opportunities (2-for-5).

The Albion College men's lacrosse team will head south next as they take on the Otterbein University Cardinals. Game time is scheduled for next Saturday, Feb. 22 at 2 p.m. 

For the latest information on the team, follow @Albion_MLax on Twitter and Instagram. General athletics news can also be found @gobrits on Twitter, AlbionAthletics on Instagram and Albion College Athletics on Facebook.

Joe and Julie Serra have given a $5 million leadership gift to launch a fundraising initiative to make two dreams a reality at Albion College. The first is a newly expanded fitness and student activity facility at the site of the current Dow Recreation and Wellness Center. The second is a new or renovated competition facility for the volleyball, men's basketball and women's basketball teams that currently call Kresge Gymnasium home.

The College is continuing to raise funds in support of both projects. To learn more, call 517/629-0446 or email advancement@albion.edu