WAUKESHA, Wis. -  Cordell McNamara had a memorable evening.
McNamara, an imposing 6-foot, 260-pound sophomore attackman from Waukesha, Wis., finished with a team-leading two goals and an assist but it wasn't enough as the Carroll University men's lacrosse team lost to Concordia University Chicago 9-6 in a frigid nonconference game at Schneider Stadium on Wednesday night.
It was the third home-field loss of the young season for Carroll, which dropped to 0-4 overall.
The Pioneers trailed 3-2 after a hard-fought, physical first half but were outscored 6-4 over the course of the final 30 minutes - including three unanswered goals in the pivotal third quarter.
Carroll showcased its heart and resilience by responding with three consecutive goals over a momentum-shifting three-minute stretch to cut the deficit to 8-5 with four minutes remaining in the contest.
McNamara ignited the fourth-quarter comeback by scoring on an aggressive, unassisted shot to cut the lead to 8-3 at the 8:28 mark.
The goal took on added meaning as it was the first of McNamara's collegiate career.
Sophomore defender Nicholas Amerongen (Woodburg, Minn.) converted his first collegiate goal on an unassisted shot two minutes later and McNamara capped the resilient spree with his second goal of the game at the 11:27 mark.
"It was an amazing feeling to get my first college goal and have it come as part of a late-game comeback," said McNamara, of the memorable milestone. "Looking back, it was awesome to see it happen but would've been even better coming in a victory. 
"During the second half, we kept fighting, managed to cut it down to three but unfortunately couldn't keep it going. Everyone played hard until the very end and win or lose that's what we love to see. It was a team effort all the way around."
McNamara was quick to point out that the team remains focused and continues to make good progress each time it steps on the field.
"Everyone has been showing up to practice, working hard every day to improve and attempting to make the necessary adjustments from game to game," McNamara said. "Collectively, today was one our best efforts of the season with the offense being able to move the ball around and the defense playing a good all-around game. Hopefully, we can put it all together and come away with some wins in the battles to come."
Junior attackman Jeff Schultz (Franklin, Wis.), sophomore attackman Airik Ranjo (San Diego, Calif.) and freshman midfielder Danny McGee (Rockford, Ill.) each added a goal for the Pioneers, who were outshot 37-21. 
Despite the frustrating final outcome, the Pioneers' defense continued to show its steady development and potential by yielding a season-low goal total. 
Freshman goalkeeper Thomas Atella (Crystal Lake, Ill.) registered 12 saves in playing the entire 60 minutes.
"The comeback was just a little too late," said Carroll head coach Brian Nowak, noting his team's ability to maintain its intensity in battling the extreme cold down the stretch. "We had a couple of mental breakdowns in transition on some key possessions and a few of the guys were injured so it slowed us down. Being down in numbers, it was nice to see some of the younger players step up to the challenge, compete with confidence and make a difference (referring specifically to McNamara's valuable contributions). Now we just need to use the experience as a good learning tool and continue to grow from it.
"Beginning with our next game against Northland on Friday, we are scheduled to play five times in 10 days so it will be a true test of our mental and physical toughness. Hopefully, we can play up to our potential and rise to the occasion."
Junior attackman Brett Krueger contributed a team-best three goals and an assist for Concordia Chicago, which earned its first victory of the season to improve to 1-1 overall.