BLOOMINGTON, Ill. -- The Illinois Wesleyan women's lacrosse team defeated Aurora University by a final score of 12-5 on Wednesday, March 29. IWU used a 35-16 shot advantage to oust the Spartans from Tucci Stadium. Sophomore Grainne Kelly led the team with five goals to match her season-high.

With a win the Titans improved to 6-4 on the season, while Aurora fell to 4-6 overall.

IWU held a 7-2 lead at halftime thanks to four goals from Kelly. Illinois Wesleyan trailed early, 1-0, but a man-up goal from sophomore Sam Bidlack knotted the game up one with 19:50 to play in the half. The Titans possessed the ball for a majority of the first half, winning 8-of-10 draw controls. Defensively Illinois Wesleyan stood tall, allowing the Spartans to convert on just 7-of-13 clearing attempts.Senior Maggie Krause had two assists in the first and three total on the afternoon.

The second half saw improved play on the side of Aurora, who scored the first two goals of the half, cutting the Titan lead to three. IWU responded in a big way however, scoring five unanswered goals to take a commanding 12-4 lead. Junior Abby Kushina cashed in on the Titans second man-up opportunity of the game, scoring her eighth goal of the season with 4:34 to play.

Krause and Kushina led the Titans with three assists apiece on Wednesday, and were closely followed by Bidlack and freshman Amanda Best with two. Best and sophomore Jess Schell tied for the team lead with four ground balls. Sophomore Breanna Metry led the team with two caused turnovers in the defensive half of the field. Junior Claire Quist was solid in goal, making eight saves on 16 shots faced.

Aurora was led on offense by Kenny Hughes who tallied two goals and two assists. In goal for the Spartans, Reilly Armstrong made 15 saves on 35 shots faced.

What's Next?
The Titans conclude their non-conference schedule at home on Saturday, April 1 with a 3 p.m. tilt against St. Mary's (Ind.). The Belles held a record of 3-3 heading into a late-night match against North Central on March 29.