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MLAX CCIW
17
North Central NCC 12-2, 5-1 CCIW
18
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 13-1, 6-0 CCIW
North Central NCC
12-2, 5-1 CCIW
17
Final
18
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
13-1, 6-0 CCIW
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 OT F
North Central NCC 5 2 4 6 0 17
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 4 6 4 3 1 18

Game Recap: Men's Lacrosse |

Men’s Lacrosse Outlasts NCC in OT for CCIW Title

Titans earn fourth straight CCIW Championship

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University men's lacrosse team is the 2021 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Tournament Champions after an overtime 18-17 victory over North Central College Saturday, May 8 inside Tucci Stadium. The win secured the Titans their fourth straight conference title, the most in the CCIW, and earned them their fourth NCAA Tournament berth.

The Titans were led in goals by senior Nick Ceko (Barrington, I'll.-Barrington), and juniors Rick Smith (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln Way East) and Griffin DeMilt (Toledo, Ohio- Ottawa Hills) who each tallied three. Smith put up two assists to total five points, while sophomores Connor Kiichle (Vancouver, Wash.-Skyview) and Carson Kiichle (Vancouver, Wash.-Skyview) led the team in assists with three apiece. 

IWU went up two to start the game, courtesy of freshman Gage Black (Peopria, Ill.-Dunlap) and Ceko before the Cardinals tied it up at two all. The Titans tacked on two more goals in the first, but NCC scored three to take a 5-4 lead after one quarter.

Behind by one, a Green and White three-goal run from Carson Kiichle, Daniel Dickerson (Wheaton, Ill.-St. Francis College Prep), and DeMilt was enough for IWU to take back the lead, 7-5. The Titans took care of business and never handed back the lead, outscoring the Cardinals 6-2 in the second quarter alone. IWU's three goal cushion pushed them into the second half at 10-7. 

With IWU still in the lead, the Cardinals applied the pressure to close the gap, 11-10, with five and a half minutes to go in the third period. Ceko upped the Titan lead to two, and Smith tacked on a goal from an odd-man rush powered by senior goalkeeper Will Harris (Bloomington, Minn.-Holy Angels) to provide Illinois Wesleyan with a 13-10 advantage. 

The Cardinals added four goals in the fourth to tie the game at 15-15, before NCC's Tom Eberhardt put the Cardinals in the front, 16-15. 

With IWU trailing 17-15, senior Max Bousky (Peoria, Ill.-Peoria Notre Dame) put his own faceoff win behind the Cardinal keeper to close the gap 17-16. As time was ticking down, Paul Mucci (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.-Bloomfield Hills) picked up the ground ball at the X to keep the Titans on the attack and Connor Kiichle found the back of the net to tie the score at 17.

During extra time the Titans defense was tested first with Harris coming up huge with a save to gain back possession. With the Titans on the attack,  Dickerson scored the golden goal off a pass from Mucci to claim the CCIW title, 18-17. 

The Titans advanced to the NCAA Tournament with the first round to take place next Saturday, May 15. The NCAA Division III Selection Show takes place tomorrow Sunday, May 9 at 9 p.m. 
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