LAKE FOREST, Ill. – The Midwest Conference title was on the line when the University of Chicago and Lake Forest College football teams lined up across each other on Saturday afternoon. A win by the Maroons would result in a three-way tie atop the conference standings and force a tiebreaker to determine the automatic bid to the postseason. A win by the Foresters would clinch the conference title outright.

Ultimately stifling defense by the hosts was the key to a 28-6 victory over the Maroons. UChicago concluded its season with an 8-2 record (7-2 MWC).

The visiting Maroons came into the day with one of the top offenses in all of NCAA Division III, averaging 52.7 points and 546 yards of offense per game. However, it was defense that ruled the day. The two high-powered teams combined for only 583 yards of total offense and scoring was kept at a minimum until the fourth quarter.

Lake Forest scored on its opening drive with a gamble near the goal line. Facing fourth down, the Foresters ran the ball into the end zone from three yards out to go up 7-0.

The teams exchanged punts from that point on until the final drive of the half. UChicago missed a 48-yard field goal attempt as time expired, and the Foresters took its 7-0 lead into the break.

After an uneventful third quarter, the fourth quarter featured a combined four touchdowns. Lake Forest struck at the beginning of the period with an 18-yard touchdown to make it 14-0. A Maroon miscue on fourth down then set up a quick 19-yard scoring drive by LFC to push the score to 21-0.

UChicago then quickly drove 63 yards in 1:47, ending with an 11-yard touchdown reception by senior wide receiver Matt Quaglia. A subsequent onside kick was successful, and the Maroons looked to chop the deficit even further. However, an interception in the end zone ended the rally attempt with two minutes left in the game. Lake Forest provided the final points on a 69-yard quarterback run.

The Maroons ended up with 276 yards of total offense compared to 307 by LFC. Third down was a particular struggle. UChicago led the nation in third-down conversion entering the game but was limited to 1-for-12 in those situations on Saturday.

Senior running back Nicholas D'Ambrose finished with 78 rushing yards on 23 attempts. His final tally for the season was a school-record 1,714 rushing yards. Senior quarterback Philip Martini completed 17 of 30 passes for 159 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He also racked up 51 rushing yards. Quaglia led the receiving corps with four catches for 54 yards and a touchdown. Senior wideout Elliott Grays grabbed five passes for 44 yards, and senior tight end Chris Song snagged four receptions for 38 yards.

UChicago's defense successfully reached the Lake Forest backfield plenty of times on the afternoon. The Maroons collected nine tackles for loss, including two sacks. Senior defensive end George Coyle was a disruptive force with a career-high 4.5 tackles for loss while adding one sack. Sophomore linebacker Aidan Cappellino tied for the team lead with 11 tackles and added two tackles for loss as well. Sophomore linebacker William Skowronski totaled 11 tackles. Senior defensive tackle Nathan Alexander contributed four tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and half a sack.