WAUKESHA, Wis. - Tenacious defense.
That's what took the spotlight down the stretch as the Carroll University men's lacrosse team defeated University of Dallas 9-7 in a nonconference game at Schneider Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
It was the third home-field victory for the Pioneers, who snapped a three-game losing streak and improved to 4-7 overall.
Carroll led 8-7 after yielding three unanswered goals over a five-minute stretch to begin the fourth quarter, setting the stage for a dramatic defensive stand.
Faced with a pressure-packed situation of being down two men as the result of frustrating back-to-back penalties, the Pioneers responded to the pressure as 6-foot-2 freshman defender Ian McClintock (Reno, Nevada) intercepted a potential game-tying shot on the left side, sprinted the length of the field and delivered a short, quick pass to freshman attackman Jeff Schultz (Franklin, Wis.).
Moments later, Schultz took possession just to the right of the goal and finished by abruptly firing a strong shot into the left corner of the net with 38 seconds remaining in regulation.
"It was the best game of my collegiate career," said McClintock, following the dramatic, victory-clinching interception and assist. "Looking back, it was really exciting and a lot of fun to be able to make a play in the final seconds. I couldn't have done it without the effort of my teammates. It was an intense situation and we were all fired up to get the job done. After losing to them last year, it meant a lot to us to be able to get some revenge.
"From an individual standpoint, it felt like I was flying around out there and able to make the most of the opportunities. On the final goal, I just took possession, kept running hard downfield and headed toward the goal. That's when I noticed Jeff (Schultz) was open and just did my best best to get the ball to him. It was a great way to finish the game. We're a close-knit family and today that ability to play together made the difference in the end."
Schultz was quick to point out that everyone stepped up, filled their specific roles and contributed to the team's success.
"We worked as a family throughout the day, excecuted the gameplan and remained committed to putting a victory on the scoreboard," said Schultz, who currently leads the team with 22 goals this season. "The entire defense gave a great effort and stepped up over the course of the game. Offensively, that's when we just attempted to follow up and finish on the opportunitites. On the final goal, Ian (McClintlock) did a great job of gaining possession so it was a good feeling to be able to take advantage of the situation and convert one more time to seal a victory. It was just the result of everyone rising to the occasion and making a great team play."
Freshman midfielder Dannon Ivey (Grass Valley, Calif.) scored a team-high three goals for the Pioneers, who outshot the Crusaders 38-20 - including a 23-13 shot-on-goal advantage. 
Junior midfielder Drake Nikolai (South Milwaukee, Wis.), sophomore attackman Paul Kerchberger (Deer Park, Ill.), sophomore attackman Edward Weizenicker (New Berlin, Wis.) and freshman midfielder Christopher Bechtel (Sammamish, Wash.) each added a goal. Kerchberger had two assists for Carroll, which led 5-3 at halftime. 
Freshman goalkeeper Abe Escrada (Sammamish, Wash.) registered six saves in playing the entire 60 minutes.
Carroll first-year head coach Brian Nowak was ecstatic about how his team dug down in the final seconds and held on for an inspired ictory.
"It was an outstanding defensive performance," said Nowak, whose team established a program record for goals in a single game as it defeated North Central University 15-4 earlier this season. "From beginning to end, we continued to play hard, focused and did a lot of great things on the defensive end. It ultimately set the tone for our success today.
"Ian (McClintock) literally changed the game with his effort. He elevated his game, came through with two interceptions and they resulted in two important goals that led to the victory. Being down two men at the very end, the guys knew what had to be done and played with a lot of heart and determination to make one more stand. 
"It was just an awesome, exciting  experience to be able to walk to the edge of the field and ring the victory bell again."
Freshman defenseman Tyler Smith had a career-high four goals and sophomore attackman Ben Blessard had three goals for Dallas, which dropped to 2-9 overall.