The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Football team was defeated in overtime by UW-Platteville 30-27 on Saturday, Oct 6. The game against the UW-Platteville Pioneers was UWL’s first Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) matchup of the season, after going 2-1 in non-conference play.
Heading into the matchup, the Eagles were ranked #3 in the nation among all National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III (D3) schools according to D3football.com.
After week four, the Pioneers were ranked #24 according to D3football.com, but the team’s win over the Eagles pushed UW-Platteville up to #11, one rank ahead of UW-La Crosse at #12. The Eagles are also bested in the weekly rankings by UW-Whitewater and UW-River Falls at #10 and #4 respectively.
UWL has won its last three games against UW-Platteville, with the Eagles’ last loss to the Pioneers coming in 2019.
Both teams started the first game with a scoreless first quarter. UW-Platteville struck first with a 24-yard field goal from Trevor Schulz. Kyle Haas and the Eagles responded three minutes later after a nine-yard touchdown run, followed by a point after touchdown (PAT) from Michael Stack.
UWL Scored another touchdown in the third quarter, on a 10-yard rush from Gabe Lynch. UW-Platteville responded with a 78-yard touchdown pass from Michael Priami to Brandt Stare, making the score 9-14.
The fourth quarter began with UWL scoring a 26-yard field goal from Stack, followed by a 47-yard touchdown run from Lynch. The Pioneers responded with a 42-yard touchdown catch from Stare to make the score 16-24. With a minute and 18 seconds to go, Carter Olson threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Stare, which the Pioneers followed with a successful two-point conversion to tie the game at 24-24.
In overtime, the Eagles scored on a 37-yard field goal from Stack, but were bested by the Pioneers after UW-Platteville scored a touchdown on the first play of the drive to win the game 30-27. The Pioneers were led by Priami with 358 passing yards and Stare with 186 receiving yards. For the Eagles, Lynch led the team in rushing with 120 yards and Jack Studer led the Eagles in receiving yards with 74. Haas had 87 passing yards and a rushing touchdown for the Eagles.
The full box score of the game can be found here.
The Eagles’ next game will be Saturday, Oct. 12 at 1 p.m. in Oshkosh, WI where they will face the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Titans.
