The College of DuPage lacrosse team is currently in the middle of an East Coast trip, including stops in New York and Maryland. The Chaps entered play with a 2-1 record, looking to prove they've ascended as a contender in NJCAA lacrosse.

DuPage began play on March 26 at Genesee Community College and overwhelmed the Cougars from the start, jumping out to a 6-0 lead before Genesee answered to make it 6-1. The Chaps would score the next 11 goals, cruising to a 17-1 victory to improve to 3-1.

Tanner Polep and Vincent Garcia-Hockett led the DuPage scoring effort with four goals each, while Polep added three assists. Bennett Jones, MJ Keblusek, and Asher Dilts each connected for two goals, with Keblusek adding two assists. Parker Smith, Mello Brown, and Gage Wimmer also found the back of the net in the blowout win. Goalie Nathan Peak registered 4 saves on 5 shots from Genesee. 

Head Coach Bill Sanford on the win versus Genesee:
"A miserable weather night after a long trip and our guys were totally locked in and unphased by anything that could resemble an excuse. I give the players a ton of credit for that. Every possession had meaning and it showed. Tip of the cap to guys like Brady Menne, Gage Wimmer, Aaron Newmyer, Joe Maduzia, Sean Christoffel and Pierro Giazzon. These guys anchor our defensive midfield and faceoff units that give us a lot of opportunities for possessions. Really proud of the offense as well-a lot of unselfish behavior and playmaking."

The following day, March 27, DuPage had a quick turnaround against Hudson Valley Community College, and the offensive fireworks continued.

After falling behind 2-0 within the first four minutes, DuPage responded emphatically. The Chaps scored 13 unanswered goals to take a 13-2 lead early in the third quarter. After Hudson Valley scored their third goal, DuPage went on another run and never looked back, earning a dominant 24-3 victory.

Polep and Jones dazzled for DuPage, combining for 14 goals and seven assists, scoring seven goals apiece. Dilts added two goals, while Keblusek, Daylor, Nathan Lenoci, Garcia-Hockett, Smith, Charlie Schultz, Menne, and Wimmer each scored once. Peake again impressed in his goalie spot with 6 saves. 

Sanford on the victory:
"We felt like this could be a little bit of a trap game with some of the travel logistics and our guys feeling good after a big win the night before. And Hudson came out swinging for sure. We handled their good start and quickly returned to form after taking a little bit of a snooze at the start. Defensively, our big four of Tyler Brown, Dylan Beacom, Daniel Dace and Max Michels all owned their matchups and set us up for a lot of run outs."

DuPage then turned its focus to the current No. 1 ranked team in the NJCAA poll, Howard Community College. The Chaps jumped in front of the Dragons multiple times in the first half, leading 3-1 and later 8-4 — their largest lead of the game.

A Tanner Polep goal gave DuPage a 10-8 lead with just 8:30 remaining. The Dragons responded with two late goals, with the equalizer coming with just one minute left in regulation. The contest remained a stalemate through two overtime periods before Howard scored the golden goal just over a minute into the second overtime, handing DuPage an 11-10 loss.

Despite the result, DuPage proved it belongs among the nation's best. The voters in the NJCAA Lacrosse poll agreed, ranking the Chaps No. 5 in Monday's poll. It marks the first time in program history that College of DuPage has been ranked, signaling that the Chaps' ascension is just getting started.

Head coach Bill Sanford on the overtime loss:
"Great start and reaction to the challenge of playing such an explosive offense. We failed to hold ourselves to a high standard on offense in the 2nd half and gave the ball away uncharacteristically. When we started this program two years ago we lost a game by 30 goals to the #1 team in the country so going to double OT with the current #1 team is certainly evidence of the hard work our guys have put in and I know they're motivated to keep going. We have guys here that want to do something that's never been done. Guys that want to bring awareness of the toughness that comes out of the Midwest. I am impressed but not surprised by their growth."