McLean County Times

The men's lacrosse team at Illinois Wesleyan University (IWU) is set to host Carthage College for a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) matchup on Saturday, April 12, at Tucci Stadium. The game begins at 1 p.m.

IWU, currently holding a 9-2 record overall and 1-0 in conference play, recently defeated North Central College on April 9 with a decisive 19-10 victory. The game showcased the skills of fifth-year players Bob Boone and Ike Eastburn, who each scored five points through goals. Sophomore Timothy McHugh and senior Sam Weinberg contributed significantly, each with three assists and a goal.

On the defensive front, senior Nick Horrocks achieved a new career-high with five caused turnovers and six ground balls. Senior Nick Schroeder excelled at faceoffs, going 14-for-23, and added 10 ground balls, a goal, and an assist. In goal, senior Colin Tervo played for over 50 minutes with 11 saves, while junior Sam Scott added three saves in the remaining time.

Sophomore McHugh is a standout, leading the team with 53 points from 19 goals and 34 assists over 11 games. McHugh holds the top spot in the conference for assists per game and ranks third in points per game. At a national level, he ranks seventh in Division III for assists per game. Overall, IWU has outscored its opponents 165-129 and boasts a scoring offense ranked 21st nationally. The Titans lead the conference in caused turnovers and ground balls per game, ranking 20th and 15th nationally in these categories, respectively.

Carthage College approaches Saturday's game with a 9-3 overall record and an 0-1 conference record, following a 15-12 loss to Elmhurst University in their season opener.

Historically, Illinois Wesleyan leads the series against Carthage, having won 10 of the 15 meetings since 2014, including a current 10-game winning streak. Their most recent encounter was a close semifinal game in the last year's CCIW Tournament, where IWU claimed a 12-11 victory.

Both teams are evenly matched, with IWU leading the conference in goals per game at 15.00 and Carthage closely following with 14.50 goals per game.

The match will be available for fans through live stats and streaming, accessible via the men's lacrosse schedule page on iwusports.com.