Box Score SHEBOYGAN, Wis. - Sophomore Nate Wasser (Lake Geneva, Wis./Shoreland Lutheran) recorded his second hat trick of the season to lift the Wisconsin Lutheran College men's soccer team to a 5-1 win over Lakeland in its regular season finale at Lakeland Soccer Field Tuesday. Despite the victory, the Warriors fell one game short of reaching the NACC Tournament as they were kept out of the postseason by virtue of Concordia Wisconsin's 1-0 victory against Edgewood.
WLC (8-7-3, 5-4-1 NACC) jumped ahead early on Wasser's sixth-minute goal, assisted by Jake Semmann (Grafton, Wis./Kettle Moraine Lutheran) and Matt Schmidt (Wauwatosa, Wis./East). The Warriors controlled the shot count 9-3 in the first half as the halftime score remained 1-0.
Wasser struck for his second goal in the 55th minute off of a pass from Mavric Otterstatter (Fond du Lac, Wis./Winnebago Lutheran). He capped the natural hat trick 13 minutes later, assisted by Austin Drake (East Troy, Wis./East Troy) to give the Warriors a 3-0 lead. Wasser finished the season with a team-leading 13 goals.
Cody Mauthe broke through for Lakeland's (8-9-1, 3-7-0 NACC) only goal in the 74th minute to cut the Warriors lead to 3-1.
The Warriors answered less than two minutes later with their first of two goals in under four minutes. Bishop netted his second goal of the season in the 76th minute on Drake's second assist of the game. Drake scored a goal of his own in the 79th minute - his eighth of the season - off of an assist by Ryan Kurth (Pleasant Prairie, Wis./Shoreland Lutheran).
Wasser set a single-game school record with 11 shots as the Warriors out-shot the Muskies 21-10. Paul Elzinga attempted four shots to lead Lakeland. Jon Stewart (Waukesha, Wis./South) made three saves for the Warriors while Muskies goalkeeper Austin Ganzke stopped seven shots.
The Warriors' 8-7-3 overall record marks the third time in program history that the team has finished with a winning record, and the first time they have posted a winning record in back-to-back seasons.
Wasser's 13 goals are the second-most in a season in school history and Drake's seven assists are also the second-best for a single season. Stewart wrapped up his career with a school-record 22 wins as goalkeeper.
