Men's Lacrosse Closes Season With Win Over Midland

Marshall, Mo., (April 14, 2024)-  The Missouri Valley College men's lacrosse team hosted Midland (Neb.) in a non-conference game to close the regular season.  The Vikings pulled away in the third quarter, then held off a late rally for a 9-8 victory.

Missouri Valley started the game with a quick goal, as Junior Defender Aleix Costa (Barcelona, Spain) collected the opening faceoff and Sophomore Attack Carson Willey (Carstairs, Alberta) eventually set up Junior Midfielder Jayden Simpliciano (Honolulu, Hawaii) with a goal moments into the contest.  Midland answered back just over one minute later to tie the teams at 1-1.  Possession was traded over the next stretch of play, with Junior Goalkeeper Jake Lipscomb (Boiling Springs, S.C.) making one save.  The Warriors eventually maintained possession on offense, and scored near the eight-minute mark to move on top, 2-1.  Both teams created chances over the next several minutes.  Lipscomb made two saves in the final eight minutes of play in the quarter, while the Vikings forced the Midland keeper into a pair of saves.  Both teams were unable to find another goal as the first quarter came to an end at the 2-1 score.

Play in the second quarter started with chances on goal for both teams, which included three saves from Lipscomb.  With just over three minutes played, Missouri Valley gained possession offensively, and Junior Attack Alvaro Atienza (Madrid, Spain) scored to tie the teams at 2-2.  The Warriors came back midway through the quarter to grab a 3-2 lead, but Senior Midfielder Tyler Grandidier (Staunton, Ill.) won the ensuing faceoff, which eventually led to an assist on a goal from Freshman Midfielder Jayden Franklin (Naples, Fla.) to tie the teams once again, at 3-3.  Less than two minutes later, the Vikings went back in front, as Atienza set up Simpliciano with a goal to make it 4-3.  Midland responded after the faceoff, and tied the contest again, but a goal in the final moments of the half by Atienza sent MVC into halftime ahead, 5-4.

Possession was traded in the opening two minutes of the third quarter, and the Vikings eventually earned an extra-man opportunity.  The team took advantage of the extra player, and Simpliciano assisted on a goal from Atienza to push the lead out to 6-4.  With just over four minutes played in the quarter, Simpliciano registered another assist, this time setting up Willey with a goal to put the advantage at 7-4.  Midland was forced into a turnover moments after the ensuing faceoff, and Simpliciano capped a third-straight assist on another goal from Atienza near the 10-minute mark to stretch the lead out to 8-4.  Missouri Valley kept the pressure on Midland, adding another goal midway through the quarter, scored from Atienza to put the score at 9-4.  The Warriors answered back over the next stretch, adding three goals in the final six minutes of the quarter to cut the deficit down to 9-7 going into the fourth quarter.

The two teams traded possession over much of play in the quarter.  Lipscomb made three saves through the midway point of the quarter to keep MVC in front by the two-goal advantage.  However, Midland eventually cut its deficit down with a goal near the two-minute mark.  The Vikings fended off late attempts from the Warriors in the final moments of the game, and ran out the remaining time holding possession to earn a 9-8 victory.

Atienza led with five goals and one assist.  Simpliciano had two goals and three assists, while Willey tacked on one goal and one assist.  Franklin finished with one goal.  Lipscomb made 12 saves in goal and came up with five groundballs.  Grandidier led with nine groundballs.  Missouri Valley held a 38-28 advantage in groundballs and forced Midland into 27 turnovers. 

Missouri Valley ends its season with a 1-7 record, while Midland drops to 1-12 on the season.

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ABOUT MISSOURI VALLEY COLLEGE

Known for its dynamic, richly diverse, and friendly educational environment, Missouri Valley College offers many opportunities to grow in mind, body, and spirit. Grounded in the liberal arts, undergraduate studies empower students to master interdisciplinary skills needed to succeed in a knowledge-based global society. MVC offers over 30 academic programs, study abroad program, extracurricular activities, and a wide variety of sports. The most popular majors include education and business, criminal justice and exercise science. Above all, Valley is committed to student success. For more information, call (660) 831-4000 or visit www.moval.edu.