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Leading by just one at halftime, Lourdes used a strong second half to defeat Aquinas 13-6 on Saturday evening at Wildcat Stadium, winning the first Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference tournament title in program history.
 
With the victory, the Gray Wolves have also earned an automatic bid to the NAIA National Invitational.
 
"Today was a very exciting step for the Lourdes program," head coach Patrick Yannarelli said afterwards.  "Aquinas is a very good team and well coached, but tonight was the culmination of many players who have helped build this program over the first four years."
 
Aquinas struck first just over three minutes into the game, but Lourdes responded with a pair of goals before the opening quarter ended.  D.J. Harris (Miamisburg, Ohio/Miamisburg H.S.) scored the first of his two goals to tie the game while Tanner Jaramillo (Sylvania, Ohio/Northview H.S.) put the Gray Wolves in front.
 
Jared Yoshino (Sylvania, Ohio/Southview H.S.) made it 3-1 Lourdes at the 11:55 mark before the Saints tied the game as it headed towards halftime.   Yoshino put the Gray Wolves in front for good with 29 seconds to play before halftime with his second goal of the night.
 
Dalton Vowles (Toledo, Ohio/Saint John's H.S.) increased the lead to two four minutes out of the break with a man-up goal, and then the Gray Wolves defense fought off a three-minute man-up advantage for the Saints without yielding a tally.
 
Shortly after the penalty expired, Yoshino found the back of the cage twice within 42 seconds to push the lead to 7-3.  Aquinas called timeout to try to stem the Gray Wolves' momentum, but Nic Mueller (Temperance, Mich./Bedford H.S.) won the subsequent faceoff and went the distance for his second goal of the year six seconds  later.
 
The two sides traded goals the remainder of the quarter, with both teams scoring in the final 30 seconds.  Aquinas found the back of the cage with one second remaining to pull within four, 10-6, but that would be the final goal of the night for the Saints.
 
Jaramillo, Harris, and Casey Hilfinger (Whitehouse, Ohio/Anthony Wayne H.S.) all added insurance tallies in the fourth before the Gray Wolves began their celebration.
 
"We are continuously reminded of the type of young men we have whether by their work ethic on the field, their volunteering off the field or the way they look out for each other," Yannarelli added.  "We believe the student-athletes are becoming great leaders and we are enthusiastic about the foundation that has been built and the future of this program.  We are grateful for all the players that have been a part of the lacrosse program."
 
Lourdes outshot the Saints 43-24 for the game and held a 36-24 advantage in ground balls.  Conner Mishler (Lambertville ,Mich./Saint John's H.S.) made six saves in the victory while Yoshino collected seven ground balls.  Mueller won 12-of-16 faceoffs as Lourdes held a 15-5 advantage in that category for the game.
 
Mitch Haggart led Aquinas (10-5) with three goals while Mack Baker made 14 saves in goal.
 
Lourdes (12-2) enters the NAIA National Invitational having won six straight games.  The tournament begins May 3 in Greenville, S.C. with official pairings expected to be released on Sunday.