McLean County Times

The Illinois Wesleyan University women's lacrosse team secured a victory against North Central College with a 22-13 win at Tucci Stadium as part of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play. This result improved the Titans' season record to 7-7 overall, and 2-1 within conference matchups, while North Central College now stands at 8-4 overall, and 1-1 in league games.

Key contributions for the Titans came from juniors Anelise DiGiovanni and Sarah Riepe. DiGiovanni achieved a career-high of five points with three goals and two assists, while Riepe secured her first collegiate hat trick, matching her personal-best with three points. Freshman Maddie Gibson, junior Sadie Newton, and senior Mia Fiandaca each added four points. Newton scored a team-high four goals, and both Gibson and Fiandaca found the net three times along with an assist each.

Fiandaca led on draw controls for the Titans, acquiring nine out of the team's 20 draws. Riepe and Newton contributed with six and two draw controls, respectively. In goal, senior Lizzie Rymarcsuk delivered an impressive performance with nine ground balls and 11 saves, marking a personal career-high for ground balls.

The Titans showed statistical strength in several categories including shots, ground balls, and draw controls, while also executing 15-of-22 clear attempts to the Cardinals' 12-for-20. Illinois Wesleyan maintained a lead across several metrics such as saves and capitalized clear attempts despite a close margin in turnovers.

The game began with Illinois Wesleyan trailing but they soon regained footing. After initially falling behind 3-1, as Gibson managed to score, Rymarcsuk's save led to Riepe leveling the match. The Titans' comeback continued through a series of goals including three consecutive woman-down scores, with crucial goals by players like Fountain and Fiandaca building their lead.

Although North Central managed a few responses, IWU's goal-scoring streak in the third period further solidified their advantage. The Titans ended the third quarter with a comfortable lead, extending it with consistent scoring in the final quarter to secure the win.

Illinois Wesleyan is set to host Carthage College in their next game, continuing their CCIW campaign.