Box Score

MOUNT VERNON, Iowa – Senior Kevin Gleason (Loyola Academy, Chicago, Ill.) scored just one goal on Wednesday, March 16 against Cornell in Mount Vernon, Iowa but it proved to be the game winner as Augustana defeated the Rams 10-9 in non-conference men's lacrosse action. Gleason tallied off an assist from fellow senior Jonathan Bryk (Fremd HS, Palatine, Ill.) with just :12 left on the game clock to give the Vikings their third straight win of the young campaign.
 
Gleason's goal capped a furious comeback for Augustana, which trailed 8-4 with 12 minutes left in the contest.
 
The Vikings got in front early when sophomore Hayden Holland (Owatonna HS, Owatonna, Minn.) scored an unassisted goal on a power play just three minutes into the game. The two teams traded goals with A.J. Fisher scoring three times for Cornell and each one tied the game.
 
His first goal came at 11:21 and made it 1-1. Sophomore Nick Zielinski (Huntley HS, San Marcos, Calif.) tallied unassisted at 9:25 to make it 2-1 and that is the way the first quarter ended. Fisher tied it at 2-2 with a goal at 9:04 of the second but senior Scott Davis (St. Thomas Aquinas HS, Overland Park, Kan.) put Augustana on top 3-2 at 6:35 of the second with an unassisted goal. Fisher's goal just four seconds later (6:31) knotted the game at 3-3.
 
Cornell scored one goal from Carlos Siguenza just before halftime (:19) to take a 4-3 lead into the locker room at halftime.
 
The Rams got a goal from Michael Sansonetti midway through the third period (7:09) to go up 5-3 but the Vikings used a goal by sophomore Cam MacKenzie (St. Charles North HS, St. Charles, Ill.) with 1:37 left in the third to close the gap to 5-4. Bryk assisted on the play.
 
Cornell scored the next three goals and with 12:00 left in the game held an 8-4 lead. The Augustana comeback started with a goal by senior Alexander Crescenti (Jacobs HS, Algonquin, Ill.) off a Bryk assist with 11:59 left. Davis scored at 10:56 unassisted and freshman Nick Gallo (Maine South HS, Park Ridge, Ill.) tallied unassisted at 9:00 to pull the Vikings within one at 8-7. Crescenti evened the game at 8-8 with a goal off a Gleason assist at 6:12.
 
When the game moved into the final minute Bryk put Augustana on top 9-8 with an unassisted goal at :58 but Cornell tied the game at 9-9 with a goal from Jack Bilenduke with just :45 left.  Sophomore McKay Potter (Hudson HS, Hudson, Wis.) won the crucial faceoff and scooped up the ground ball. Bryk fed Gleason and the Vikings' career goal scoring record holder tallied the game winner with his 13^th goal of the season.
 
Cornell was not finished, however, and the Rams won the faceoff and Conor Hollowell got a shot off at the buzzer but Viking goalkeeper Jack Peters (Maine South HS, Park Ridge, Ill.) 10^th and final save of the night to preserve the victory.
 
Eight Augustana players scored on the evening with Crescenti and Davis each recording two goals. Potter led the team in ground balls with seven and he won 15 of 23 face-offs. Peters and Zielinski each had six ground balls. The Vikings held a 47-32 advantage in shots and they won seven of 10 face-offs in the decisive fourth period.
 
After losing its first four games of the season, Augustana is now 3-4 with a game on Sunday, March 20 against Huntingdon at a neutral site in St. Louis, Missouri (DeSmet Jesuit High School). Game time is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. Cornell remained winless at 0-5.