UW-Platteville lacrosse sealed their fate in the Great Lakes Lacrosse League Tournament A-Bracket with two final wins for the season on April 18.

Photograph by Jessica Vretenar


Eric Miller, sophomore midfielder, scored one of 14 goals during the 14-4 win over St. Mary’s College on April 18.

The team last made the A-Bracket in 2007 when they won the championship against Madison.

“This year we’re looking to redeem ourselves and get back to where we were three years ago when we won the championship,” Nick Bower, senior midfielder, said.

UW-P defeated Winona State University 9-4, and followed up with a 14-4 win over St. Mary’s College to end the season with a five-game winning streak.

“We were able to keep our heads on straight and not let the back and forth scoring affect us,” Brent Beveroth, senior defender, said. “We stuck to our game plan and were able to come out ahead.”

The younger players were able to step onto the field and gain game-time experience that they don’t get in practice, Beveroth said.

“Going into the tournament, this will give them extra confidence when they get into the games,” Beveroth said. “It also saved some of the veteran players from getting any more beat up before the tournament.”

The 38-strong team saw four first-time scorers between the two games.

“The last couple years St. Mary’s has given the team trouble, this year we knew what had to be done,” Darin Schopen, senior midfielder, said. “They have a smaller team and we were able to take advantage of our numbers and keep fresh players on the field.”

The younger players dominated the lines during the St. Mary’s game. Mike Shea, senior midfielder, said the teams youth was able to work out nerves and see how their lines should run which will help in the tournament setting.

The standout play of the game came from freshman Matt Schwalenberg assisting on a faceoff to allow fellow midfielder John Anderson, freshman, to score, Bower said.

“The team has improved so much since the beginning of the year,” Bower said. “We will just keep working hard and taking it one game at a time. Our attitude will be the same it has been all season.”

UW-P ended with a 6-2 record and second place finish in the West Division of the GLLL. The Pioneers have a power ranking of 71.1. Placing first in the division was UW-La Crosse with an 8-0 record and 74.7 power ranking.

The biggest challenge heading into the weekend will be ensuring that the team maintains their composure and stay in control during the game, Bower said.

“We’re too emotional,” Beveroth said. “We don’t play well until we’re ahead by a couple goals.”

The GLLL tournament will be held Saturday and Sunday April 24 and 25 at UW-P. Approximately 24 teams will be playing between Miners Field, Memorial Park and potentially on fields at the Platteville High School. A-Bracket games will be held at the UW-P stadium.

Times and locations will be determined based on standings. The top two teams of each division will enter the A-Bracket. For more information on the tournament times check out uwplatt.edu/org/lax.