RIVER FOREST, ILL. — The Concordia University Chicago (CUC) men's lacrosse team met many adversities in their 2023 season. As a group, many of these athletes met career firsts and highs as they battled through many formidable opponents.
Season Recap
With a full slate of 15 games, the Cougar men's lacrosse team had both conference and non-conference opponents to go up against. To start their season, they began with eight straight non-conference games, mostly on the road. Their first two road games resulted in losses to Earlham College and Lake Forest College, 15-3 and 19-5, respectively. Then coming home for a match-up with Wabash College, the Cougars hit their season-high goals mark, with a loss of 21-6.
The next five games were all played away, as the Cougars tacked their miles on. With their game against Clarke University, the Cougars were just short of a victory at 10-8. Still trying to find a win, the Cougars games versus Northland College and Carroll University both ended with close scores, but could not pull through for a victory.
Opening up Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) play, the Cougars hosted Marian University and fell to the Sabres. Then, against Beloit College, CUC had one of their best conference match-ups and were narrowly defeated 7-2. Suffering defeat to both Benedictine University and the Milwaukee School of Engineering, the Cougars were still able to get points on the board against these top conference opponents.
Against the sister school, Concordia University Wisconsin (CUW), the Cougars had their best game in school history against the Falcons. Even though it resulted in a loss of 14-6, it showed the great lengths that CUC men's lacrosse has made. To finish off the season, the Cougars dropped their last three games against the Illinois Institute of Technology, Edgewood College, and Aurora University.
The Cougars finished their season with an 0-15 overall record and 0-8 in conference play.
High Achievements
Throughout the season, multiple Cougars hit season-highs and career firsts. With a couple of hat tricks to boot, Zach Cicero (Chicago, Ill.) secured two for himself and Jarred Tabor (Crystal Lake, Ill.) had one on the season.
On the defensive end, Justin Headley (Baltimore, Md.) secured a career-high for himself as he scooped 12 ground balls on Mar. 19. In caused turnovers, Zachary Lewandowski (West Dundee, Ill.) had his season-high on Apr. 19, where he caused four turnovers. In net, Peter Borkowski (St. Louis, Mo.) tied his career-high twice this season, as he secured 26 saves on Apr. 11 and 15. This season, he tallied four total games with 20-plus saves as the Cougars backstop.
A couple of Cougars have crossed into the record books, as some have just begun at CUC and some are now departing. Cicero is now in the record book top ten for career ground balls with 109, caused turnovers with 30, and assists with 16. He also holds a spot in the individual season record top ten for caused turnovers with 15 and assists with 12. Aidan Vizi (Bethel, Ct.) is in the record book top ten for career caused turnovers with 21, assists with 7, ground balls with 66, games played, and games started.
Within single-season records, a couple of returning Cougars have also found success. Tabor crossed into the top-ten in points with 24 and goals with 21. Josef Fors (Farmington, Minn.) slid into the third single-season record spot for faceoff percentage with a .467. Climbing the single-season record ladder was Headley, who moved up to fourth all-time in ground balls with 60. Borkowski was a force at the goal, as he took the second spot for single-season saves with 245. This CUC men's lacrosse group has made an impact on the future of Cougars lacrosse.
Graduating Seniors
A core group of four seniors will be departing after giving their time and dedication to the Cougar men's lacrosse program. After playing CUW on Apr. 14, four seniors were honored in Cicero, Vizi, Sean Dooley (Ocala, Fla.), and Amir Cavic (Des Plaines, Ill.).
Cicero and Vizi both have made impacts as Cougars in the record books, including some great numbers on both offense and defense. Cicero totaled 13 goals and 29 points, including the aforementioned stats in the record book. The only true fifth year was Vizi, who was a defensive specialist turned attack, with seven goals and 14 points in his career.
Dooley finished his career with 4 goals, 20 ground balls, and 109 won faceoffs. Additionally, Cavic was a part of the defense, who ended at 27 ground balls and 23 caused turnovers. These four Cougar seniors will be missed as they cross into the next stage of their lives.
Impactful Returners
With a new school year on the horizon for CUC men's lacrosse, there are a couple of key Cougars that will be coming back for the 2024 season. Tabor will be back as the main offensive contributor, with 21 goals and three assists from this past season. Coming out more in the scoring category was Justin Headley (Baltimore, Md.), who had 10 goals and nine assists this season, as well as 10 caused turnovers and 23 faceoff wins.
Defensively, Borkowski will be returning in goal for his junior season after the previously mentioned save numbers and a .484 save percentage. For his senior campaign, the 2022 NACC Honorable Mention, Lewandowski, will be returning as he led the team in caused turnovers this past season.
Statistical Leaders
Goals: Jarred Tabor, 21
Assists: Zach Cicero, 12
Points: Jarred Tabor, 24
Ground balls: Justin Headley, 60
Caused Turnovers: Zachary Lewandowski, 16
Saves: Peter Borkowski, 245
Season Highlights
All updates regarding CUC men's lacrosse, including rosters, schedules, and other information, at cucougars.com. More content can be found on their social media, Twitter @ CUChicagoLax and Instagram @ cuchicagolax.
