ROCK ISLAND, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University men's lacrosse team was too much for Augustana College to handle Wednesday night, April 22, in a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin contest at PepsiCo Recreation Center. The Titans got back into the win column with a 26-0 victory over the Vikings (3-11, 0-4 CCIW) as IWU boosted its record to 10-5 overall and 3-1 in league action.

Illinois Wesleyan posted its first shutout since April 26, 2015, when the Titans blanked University of Dallas, 22-0. IWU utilized the services of four goalies to notch the clean sheet with each play a quarter in between the pipes. Sophomore Jaymeson Zackery (Saint Paul, Minn.-Eastview) and senior Sam Scott (Worthington, Ohio-Thomas Worthington) tallied a pair of saves apiece, with sophomore A.J. Ellis (Lake Bluff, Ill.-Suffield Academy) and Henry Cotter (Hanover, N.H.-Hanover) adding one stop each.

Leading the defensive effort in front of the quartet of goalies, freshman Lucas Patterson (Skokie, Ill.-Notre Dame College Prep), and sophomore Wyatt Hart (Littleton, Colo.-Valor Christian) and Ethan Cavanaugh (Davis, Calif.-Davis Senior) caused two turnovers apiece. Sophomore Jake Sline (Homewood, Ill.-Homewood-Flossmoor) pulled in a game-high 10 ground balls as IWU finished with a 44-15 lead in the category. 

Senior Michael Rocco (Libertyville, Ill.-Libertyville) and sophomore Matt Arnold (Arlington Heights, Ill.-Prospect) paced a dominant night at the X. Rocco went 8-for-10, with Arnold going 8-for-9. Sline turned in a 6-for-6 showing as IWU finished 25-for-30 overall.

Twelve different Titans registered goals in the win, with freshman Brody Jones (Boring, Ore.-West Linn) topping the team with a career-best five. Junior Timothy McHugh (Orland Park, Ill.-Mount Carmel) popped off for a team-high nine points on four goals and five helpers. Junior Jake Kahoun (Worthington, Ohio-Thomas Worthington) tacked on a hat trick alongside two assists, while senior Noah Dretzka (Delafield, Wis.-Kettle Moraine) buried four goals. 

The Green and White came out red-hot and never looked back. Sophomore Jack Vander Kooi (Buffalo, Minn.-Buffalo) kicked things off with a goal, his fourth of the season, before Timothy McHugh found sophomore Owen Miller (Brookfield, Wis.-Brookfield Central) and Kahoun dished to Timothy McHugh for back-to-back strikes. Arnold won the ensuing faceoff and Sline scooped up the ground ball to set up a Jones goal just 11 seconds later. Working with possession after a clock violation by the Vikings, senior Cole Kennedy (Walnut Creek, Calif.-De La Salle) joined in on the scoring with a goal.

The run continued as Hart caused a turnover on the defensive end and senior Billy McHugh (Orland Park, Ill.-Mount Carmel) scooped up possession. Pushing the ball up to Kahoun, Jones capped the play with his second goal of the game to push the Titans' lead to 6-0. 

Patterson forced a turnover, and the visitors used it to their advantage, as Dretzka made it 7-0 to close the first quarter.

Timothy McHugh stayed hot entering the second quarter with his second goal of the night, putting Illinois Wesleyan ahead 8-0 with 10:54 remaining until halftime. 

Faceoff wins by Rocco and Arnold kept momentum with the Titans as freshman Jake Guerard (Arlington Heights, Ill.-John Hersey) and Jones uncorked shots past the Augie goalie for a double-digit lead, 10-0.

As the clock wound towards the four-minute mark, an Augustana miscue set the table for another IWU goal. After his initial shot was blocked, Dretzka corralled the rebound and dished to sophomore Jeremy Langosch (Grayslake, Ill.-Warren Township), but the shot soared wide. Hustling to retain possession, Dretzka could not be denied as the senior unleashed another shot, this time beating the AC goalie. Illinois Wesleyan piled on three more to carry a 14-0 stronghold into halftime.

The Titans never looked back in the second half, with Langosch, freshmen Garrett Wills (Sugar Grove, Ill.-Kaneland), Max Bradson (Palatine, Ill.-William Fremd), and Ben Marban (Bartlett, Ill.-South Elgin) joining in on the scoring as the Green and White left Rock Island with a 26-0 victory.

Illinois Wesleyan closes out the regular season on the road Saturday, April 25, with a trip to Elmhurst University. Game time is set for 3 p.m. at Langhorst Field.