Lakeland College

Muskies suffer first conference loss, fall to Cougars

Athletics - posted on 10/22/2011

The Lakeland College football team suffered its first Northern Athletics Conference loss, dropping a 21-7 decision to visiting Concordia University Chicago on Saturday.

The Muskies (3-4, 3-1 NAC) recovered three fumbles by the Cougars and picked off a pass, but Lakeland's offense never got into a rhythm.

Lakeland struck first, grabbing a 7-0 lead when sophomore quarterback Dylan Van Straten hit junior wide receiver Logan Hughley with a 14-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the second quarter.

The Cougars (4-2, 3-1), who came in averaging 28 points per game, tied the game at seven when QB Jake Koehler found receiver Jamal Thomas on a 57-yard TD pass. Koehler connected again with Thomas on a 3-yard TD pass with five seconds left in the half to give the Cougars a 14-7 lead.

Concordia Chicago iced the win when Andrew Maddox scored on a 19-yard TD run with 2:37 to play.

Lakeland finished with 302 total yards on offense, and Van Straten was 16 of 35 with 194 yards. Wide receiver Justin Groeneveld had seven catches for 111 yards.

Concordia had 400 total yards, as Koehler finished 19 of 31 for 214 yards. Thomas caught five passes for 85 yards, and Maddox finished with 16 carries for 97 yards.

Senior safety Tony Faller had a game-high 13 tackles, one fumble recovery and one interception.

The Muskies, who fall into a second-place tie in the NAC, head to Benedictine, the only remaining unbeaten team in the NAC, next Saturday for an important matchup. Kickoff is 1 p.m. in Lisle, Ill.

To see what Lakeland College head coach Kevin Doherty has to say about the game, click here.

Share This Story