On the heels of a bounce-back 22-1 showing over the Saginaw Valley State Cardinals on April 19, the Northern Michigan lacrosse team suffered their second loss in three games to the hands of the Indianapolis Greyhounds in the ever unusual midweek matchup.
The Wildcats gave the No. 3 ranked Hounds a run for their money in the first half, checking into halftime in the thick of it at an 8-6 deficit. Indy would strike first in the opening quarter, but were unable to extend the lead higher than four goals at any point in that half.
The ‘Cats were able to keep pace with Indianapolis thanks in large part to tremendous goaltending play from Lauren Esposito, whose eight saves in the first half alone kept NMU fighting for a shot at a major upset. Checking into the second half, the Greyhounds meant business, and gave the Wildcats all they could handle with eight straight unanswered goals to push the lead into double digits and the game out of reach for Northern.
Despite the loss, several Wildcats shined. Esposito’s 12 saves tied her highest single-game total on the campaign, and Josie Lakosky’s five goals led all players. Since the start of April, Lakosky has logged 37 goals in the stat sheet, and creeps ever closer to an unbelievable 100 goals in a single season. The Junior currently sits at 91 for the year, and still has one more regular season and tournament match to play. Additionally, Lakosky has a chance to break the single season assist record for Northern as well.
Currently held by Minnie Bittell at 36, Lakosky needs four more apples to share the record, and five to outright own it. As if the single season records aren’t quite enough, Lakosky’s shadow looms over the career goals record for the ‘Cats. Also held by Minnie Bittell at 219, Lakosky sits second all time with 205, needing just 15 more goals to hold another record in the history books.
The loss puts NMU at 11-5 on the 2026 campaign, and marks the first time the Wildcats conceded 20 or more goals in a contest since a 25-10 loss to Maryville in 2024. The GLIAC regular season title dreams are dashed for the ‘Cats as well, now their only shot to hoist conference hardware lies in the upcoming GLIAC tournament. NMU currently sits at second in the conference at 5-2 in GLIAC play, behind Grand Valley State at 7-0. Northern will have one more GLIAC regular season contest, a match against Concordia St. Paul in Minnesota on Saturday, April 25. The 2026 regular season finale will kick off at 1:00p.m.
