RIVER FOREST, ILL. — With the 2024 Concordia University Chicago (CUC) men's lacrosse season in the rearview mirror, there are a handful of important moments that came at key moments during the year. In the first year under the direction of new head coach
Christopher Button, the Cougars added some key players to the roster and coaches to the staff. The addition of 11 new team members shaped the team that took the field and saw individual success for each player. With Button coming to CUC as a previous Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) Coach of the Year and
Colin Domek, the 2021 NACC Offensive Player of the Year, serving as this year's assistant coach the coaching staff saw great improvement as well.
Season Recap
The Cougars faced a hearty non-conference schedule to start the season with back-to-back home games against Earlham College and Anderson University. In the season opener against the Quakers, junior
Seba Miller (Cherry Hill, N.J.) picked up a career-high two goals and one assist – having a part in all three Cougar goals on the day.
They hit the road to Iowa for their first away game of the season where they fell short against Cornell College where
Andrew Lechuga (El Monte, Calif.) picked up his first goal of the season. The Cougars would kick off Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) play with a tough early stretch, falling scoreless in back-to-back games against Edgewood College and Milwaukee School of Engineering. They would break this scoring drought with a lone goal against Benedictine University from
Zachary Lewandowski (West Dundee, Ill.) with the assist from
Dylan Kenney (Boerne, Texas). The Cougars would continue to struggle to score as they picked up three goals in three games against Aurora University, Concordia University Wisconsin, and Illinois Institute of Technology before starting to gain momentum.
On senior day, the Cougars would play Marian University where a lengthy battle resulted in the Cougars falling just short, 7-4. In the team's closest game of the season, Lechuga,
Henry Hayes (Oconomowoc, Wis.) and
Carter Jedras (Mount Prospect, Ill.) would be the lone goal scorers with Jedras picking up two goals. Despite the strong offensive performance, capitalized by Miller going 8-12 on faceoffs, the Cougars would still fall short leaving one last game on the horizon for the season.
Despite early promise against Beloit College with goals from Jedras, Hayes, Lewandowski, Lechuga, and
Gregory Scott (Asheville, N.C.) the Cougars would fall flat in the second half and close the season 0-12 overall and 0-8 in conference play.
"With the limited roster number and lack of experience, the guys came to every practice and game with a positive attitude and high energy," Head Coach Chris Button said. "Every guy was willing to listen to myself and Coach Domek. From our first practice to the last game, we improved both individually but also as a group. Every game was excited to be a part of the team regardless of the games outcome and our record."
High Achievements
Graduating Seniors
The Cougars honored two seniors on their senior day in Lechuga and
Peter Borkowski (St. Louis, Mo.). Lechuga appeared and started in all 12 games on the season with three goals and one assist. Borkowski tallied 213 total saves on the season for a .530 save percentage. He secured the single-game save record against Edgewood with 29 saves while upping his career save percentage at .495. Borkowski currently sits fifth in the record books for save percentage and second in the record books in total saves with 645.
"Lettuce and Peter were great leaders this year and will be missed next year," Coach Button noted. "They both were huge parts of the fun and encouraging atmosphere that Coach Domek and I were trying to instill amongst the guys."
Impactful Returners
Despite being honored on senior day alongside Lechuga and Borkowski, one key returner for the Cougars is
Zachary Lewandowski. Lewandowski, an All-NACC Honorable Mention defensemen found his way to offense this season, appearing and starting in all 12 games. He picked up five goals and three assists on the season, with his first career goal coming against Anderson College. In addition, Lewandowski picked up 15 groundballs and caused three turnovers on the year.
Leading the team in goals this season was newcomer
Henry Hayes, who picked up six goals and one assist on the year while starting and appearing in all 12 games.
Seba Miller followed right behind with four total goals and three assists for a season total of seven points. In addition, Miller saw the majority of faceoffs for the Cougars picking up 43 total faceoffs won on the season.
On the defensive side, the Cougars will see the return of
Camden Matthias (Crete, Ill.) who led the team in caused turnovers.
"Guys had a desire to learn, which should bode well for the future of the program," Button noted. "Every player that is able to come back is coming back next year which speaks volumes about our culture and atmosphere. Guys are willing to work this summer to get a win next year. With a bunch of kids being their first season, the constant improvement and fun atmosphere will make for continued improvement for the program as a whole."
Statistical Leaders
Season Highlights
