The Middleton Cardinals won their first home game of the season on Wednesday March 22 in a hard-fought match against Mukwonago that saw multiple lead changes and a record-tying seven goals from junior attackman Gabe Passini.
The two teams had last faced off in the state championship quarterfinals in June 2022, with the
Cardinals winning that one 13-8. This time around, Mukwonago won the first possession of the game and scored first, opening up a 2-0 lead within the first eight minutes of the game. With strong performances by the goalies on both sides, Middleton battled back to tie the game at 2-2 early in the second quarter on goals from Passini and Parker Leslie.
The teams continued to match each other through the second quarter, reaching half-time with the score tied at 5-5. Mukwonago took the lead early in the second half, scoring two goals in the first four minutes. The score stood at 7-5 for much of the third quarter until, with four minutes left, the Middleton offense launched a barrage of face-off wins and five unanswered goals to take the lead, 7-10.
Junior Will O’Brien outpaced Mukwonago on face-offs in the second half by a 3:1 margin, while Passini notched five second-half goals, James Grosspietsch scored two, and Parker Leslie added his second of the game.
Mukwonago pushed hard for a late-game rally, eventually bringing the score to 8-10 with just over five minutes left in the final quarter, but the Middleton defense, anchored by goalie Danny Shulla, proved virtually impenetrable.
The last goal of the evening – Passini on an assist from O’Brien – made it 8-11, sealing the home victory for Middleton and earning the Cardinals an undefeated in-state record for the season so far.
Three Cardinals share the team record for most goals scored in a single game (7): Kevin Grelle (2019), James Grosspietsch (2022), and Gabe Passini (2022 and 2023).
The Season So Far
March 18: Warren Township (IL) 9 – Middleton 8
March 20: DeForest 3 – Middleton 21
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