STEVENS POINT, Wis. – Aaron Karlen (Edgar, WI/Edgar) had a career-high four sacks and the UW-Stevens Point defense held UW-La Crosse to 143 yards of total offense in a 31-3 victory in Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) play on Saturday afternoon at Community Stadium at Goerke Park.
 
Box Score
 
Karlen led the UW-Stevens Point (4-4, 2-3 WIAC) defense with 12 tackles, 7.5 of which were for a loss including the four sacks, and forced a fumble. His previous career-high was three sacks at UW-River Falls on Oct. 4, 2014. The Pointers held UW-La Crosse (3-5, 2-3 WIAC) to 17 yards on 38 rushes thanks to eight sacks for 48 yards.
 
On the offensive side, the Pointers used a balanced attack to score at least 27 points for the seventh time in eight games this season. UW-Stevens Point had 179 yards through the air and 161 yards on the ground.
 
DeJuan Wright (St. Petersburg, FL/Keswick Christian) led the rushing attack with 19 carries for 81 yards and a touchdown, while Darin Ward (Fond du Lac, WI/St. Mary's Springs) ran seven times for 57 yards and a score. In his second collegiate game, Cooper Kerner (Eagle River, WI/Northland Pines) was 7-for-10 for 162 yards and a TD. Ryan Swigart (Winnebago, IL/Winnebago) also added a touchdown pass.
 
Only two players recorded a reception for UW-Stevens Point. Matt Sosinsky (Princeton, WI/Princeton) caught seven passes for 148 yards, including a 66-yard touchdown from Kerner late in the fourth quarter. Jared Pankow (Mosinee, WI/D.C. Everest) caught a two-yard touchdown from Swigart as part of a four-catch, 31-yard game.
 
UW-Stevens Point opened the scoring midway through the first quarter on a 22-yard run by Wright around the left side. The score came after the Pointers had a short field following a short punt after the Eagles had stopped the Pointers on fourth and goal at the two-yard line.
 
The Swigart-Pankow touchdown and a 30-yard field goal gave UW-Stevens Point a 17-0 lead before the Eagles got on the board with a field goal in the final minute of the first half. Ward scored on a 25-yard run in the third quarter before Sosinsky capped the scoring on the 66-yard catch and run from Kerner with 4:29 to play.
 
The UW-Stevens Point defense forced seven three and outs in the game and had a pair of takeaways. Mike Longmeyer (Manitowoc, WI/Lincoln) recorded his WIAC-leading fourth interception of the season, while Ryan Strick (Naprville, IL/Waubonsie Valley) had 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble.
 
The special teams unit also contributed a blocked punt and a 66-yard punt return from Christian Almonte (Menomonee Falls, WI/Menomonee Falls) to the one-yard line. The Pointers were forced to settle for a field goal following Almonte's career-long punt return.

Andrew Thompson was 14-for-25 for 126 yards for the Eagles, while Tyler Jenkins had 73 yards of total offense (21 rushing, 52 receiving).
 
UW-Stevens Point heads to Menomonie to face UW-Stout on the road on Saturday, Nov. 7 at 1 p.m.