FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The No. 3-ranked Indiana Tech men's lacrosse team defeated Columbia College, 9-8, on Saturday afternoon in nonconference action at Warrior Athletic Field.
 
Brandon Schmehl put the Warriors up 1-0 with 13:51 to go in the first, but the Cougars scored the last three goals of the quarter to take a 3-1 lead into the second. Andrew Ryan started a 5-0 run for Tech over the next two periods though, scoring with 10:57 left in the second while Ian Tyburski tied it up at 3-3 with 7:54 on the clock. Justin Hindman put the Orange and Black back on top with 91 seconds until the half and put the hosts up 5-3 with 7:16 left in the third.
 
Noah Puckett made it a three-goal game with 4:26 left in the third, but Columbia scored twice in the next four minutes to cut the deficit down to one. Chandler Peterson restored the two-lead with 65 seconds left in the third, but the visitors came back with three goals in under a minute during the 11-minute mark in the fourth.
 
Tech rallied back with Peterson tying the game up at 8-8 with 9:20 left while Puckett scored the game-winner with 5:26 on the clock. Evan Schuster made three saves in the final four minutes of the game to preserve the win, including two in the final 60 seconds as the Cougars held the ball in their offensive zone for the last 1:39 of the game.
 
Schuster finished with 12 saves while Hindman added two assists to finish with a team-best four points. Chandler Peterson, Andrew Neller and Ian Tyburski each had seven groundballs while Tom Piotrowski caused five turnovers.
 
Tech (5-1) returns to action on Saturday, March 23, as they begin Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) play against Concordia (Mich.). Opening faceoff is set for 5 p.m. from Warrior Athletic Field.