Dearborn, Mich. — The calendar says the men's lacrosse season has reached the halfway mark, and the Saints have earned every bit of their No. 3 ranking in the NAIA. But this time of year is where good teams can get tripped up if they start staring too far ahead. With the heavyweight rematch against No. 1 Madonna looming just one week away, Aquinas had every reason to make sure there was no looking past a pesky UM-Dearborn squad that would have loved nothing more than to spring an Easter weekend upset. Instead, the Saints handled business the way contenders do — with an avalanche of offense, dominant faceoff work, and enough defensive grit to leave Dearborn with another emphatic WHAC win.

#3 Aquinas 21, UM-Dearborn 7

From the opening whistle, AQ played like a team determined to make sure next week's main event stayed exactly that.

The Saints ripped off the first five goals of the afternoon, setting the tone before the Wolverines could even settle in. TJ Murphy opened the scoring off a feed from Braeden Williams, and moments later Ian Wright doubled the lead with an unassisted finish. From there, the one-two punch of Williams and Oliver Modderman took over the first half.

Williams was sensational, pouring in seven goals and four assists, while Modderman was nearly as lethal with five goals and three helpers. By halftime, the Saints had already built a commanding 13-2 lead, fueled by relentless ball movement and a faceoff unit that repeatedly handed the offense extra possessions.

AQ's offensive depth was once again on full display. Murphy finished with three goals and two assists, Jake Koning added two goals and an assist, and Collin Wildman continued his all-around dominance with a goal, two assists, five ground balls, and multiple caused turnovers. The supporting cast kept the pressure coming as Jaiden Woodson, Brandon Klingelsmith, and Ian Wright all found the back of the cage as well.

One of the game's defining stretches came in the third quarter, when the Saints turned a comfortable lead into a complete runaway. Goals from Williams, Modderman, Murphy, and a momentum-flipping man-down strike by Klingelsmith pushed the advantage to 19-2, effectively ending any thought of a Dearborn comeback.

Defensively, the Saints showed flashes of the standard Coach Treppa continues to chase. Austin Hynote was strong in cage with eight saves, while the Saints dominated the ground ball battle 43-29 and won the faceoff war 22-9, thanks in large part to the work of William Larriuz, who controlled the X and helped AQ dictate tempo all afternoon. The Saints also cleared at an efficient 17-for-20, another sign of how cleanly the transition game operated.

There were still moments late where UM-Dearborn found some rhythm, especially during a six-goal third-quarter response, but AQ's ability to answer quickly kept the Wolverines at arm's length every time.

With the win, Aquinas improves to 10-1 overall and 6-1 in WHAC play, while the Wolverines fall to 6-6 overall and 3-4 in conference action. The Saints remain alone in second place, one game behind Madonna, with the highly anticipated rematch now officially on deck.

Saints Snapshots

• Halfway Point, Full Speed: AQ hit the season's midpoint still ranked No. 3 nationally and looking every bit the part.
• Williams Went Nuclear: Seven goals, four assists, and control of the game from start to finish.
• Modderman Matchup Problem: Five goals and three assists kept the Wolverines chasing shadows.
• Larriuz Owned the X: AQ's faceoff dominance helped create the avalanche with a 22-9 edge.
• Klingelsmith's Dagger: The man-down goal in the third crushed any hope of a Wolverine rally.
• Main Event Is Here: The Saints now turn the page to next Saturday's showdown with No. 1 Madonna.

Coach's Comments

"We did a lot of really good things today, especially offensively, but I still believe our best lacrosse is in front of us," said head coach Peter Treppa. "There's still a defensive standard we haven't fully reached yet. We gave them a little too much life in stretches, and against the teams we're about to face, those details matter. The encouraging part is our guys know it, they want it, and they continue to work toward being the best version of themselves."

Up Next

The Saints will now have a full week to prepare for the rematch of the main event as #3 Aquinas welcomes #1 Madonna to the Aquinas Athletic Field in Grand Rapids next Saturday.

The first time these two teams danced, the Crusaders had the home cooking and handed AQ a 14-11 defeat. This time, Coach Treppa's squad will look to return the favor on its home turf, with the opening faceoff scheduled for 1:00 p.m.

The showdown will stream live on the AQSaints YouTube Network, with Joey Sutherlin on the call.

Be sure to visit AQSaints.com for live stats, streaming links, and full postgame coverage of AQ Men's Lacrosse and all Saints sports.

It's a great day to be a Saint.