SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - The No. 10 Concordia men's lacrosse team concluded its 2019 campaign Monday night, falling in the first round of the MCLA Division 1 National Championships to the No. 7 University of Colorado Buffaloes, 16-9.
 
In a rematch of a late-March showdown in Boulder, Colorado, the Eagles ran into a high-powered Buffaloes offense. Colorado emerged from a physical start to the game with a 2-0 lead before Connor Reed ran past two defenders and lashed home a shot from close range to put Concordia on the board. The Eagles then equalized via a tight-angle shot from the right side by Brandon Mayo with under two minutes left in the first quarter, but a Buffalo goal with 35 seconds remaining gave Colorado the 3-2 lead heading into the second.

Concordia again caught up at 3-3 midway through the second frame via a Mayo strike and took its first lead at 4-3 thanks to a Logan Perry goal from long range. However, the Buffaloes responded with a 5-1 run to close out the half with an 8-5 lead. CU proceeded to shutout the Eagles in the third while adding five more tallies, bringing the score to 13-5 as the final frame began. CUI's Jackson Lienhart added two goals while Jacob Aho and Kobe Brown each found the back of the net in the comeback attempt, but Concordia ultimately came up short and Colorado emerged with the 16-9 victory.
 
Mayo, Lienhart, and Brown each finished the game with two goals, while Perry tallied a goal and three assists. CUI goalie Tyler Schweickert recorded 15 saves.
 
For the Eagles, the defeat draws the curtains on a memorable 2019 season. Playing under the leadership of head coach Jesse Foss for the first time, Concordia produced a 12-5 record overall, including an impressive 9-2 mark at Eagles Field. Seven Eagles earned Southwest Lacrosse Conference honors, including first-team nods for Lienhart, Brown, Reed, and Tyler Collins. Perry earned Second-Team All-SLC honors, while Mayo and Schweickert each earned Honorable Mention.
 
After saluting their departing seniors, the Eagles will return 17 players from the 2019 squad as they look to remount their MCLA Division 1 title challenge in the spring of 2020.