BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University women's lacrosse team held off the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, 17-12, Friday evening, March 31, inside Tucci Stadium. The game saw senior Sarah Gleason (Park Ridge, Ill.-Maine South) record her 100th career point, freshman Carleigh Fountain (Orland Park, Ill.-Carl Sandburg) record the second-most goals in a single game, and sophomore Lizzie Rymarcsuk (Lake Zurich, Ill.-St. Viator) make a run at the single-game saves record. 

Fountain paced the Titans (4-7) with seven points, two off the single-game record, via six goals and one assist. Gleason finished with five points on one goal and a team-high four assists, while sophomore Mia Fiandaca (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles North) tallied five goals. 

Rymarcsuk put together an outstanding showing in between the posts, finishing with 20 saves on 38 shots faced. The sophomore goalie held steady with a .625 save percentage and recorded the second 20-save showing of her career. Rymarcsuk finished two saves off the program record of 22 held by Claire Quist as the game was suspended due to severe storms with 3:05 left in the fourth.

Freshman Devon Hanson (Waukesha, Wis.-Waukesha West) topped the team with eight draw controls, followed by Fountain and Fiandaca with seven and six, respectively. Senior Julia Raczykowski (Minooka, Ill.-Minooka Community) tied Gleason for the team lead with two ground balls, while freshman Sarah Riepe (Aurora, Ill.-St. Francis) tied her with two caused turnovers.

UW-River Falls erased an early 2-0 Illinois Wesleyan lead to tie the game at two midway through the first quarter. Fountain won the ensuing draw control and Fiandaca capitalized with a free-position goal to push IWU ahead, 3-2, with 5:40 left in the period. The goal prompted a Falcons timeout.

UWRF used a win on the draw to manufacture a good scoring chance, but Rymarcsuk came through with a great save to keep the one-goal lead intact.

After Hanson motored down the sideline for a successful clear, she found a cutting Fiandaca for a goal with 3:44 on the clock. IWU scored twice more before the end of the quarter, as senior Carlyn Bratt (Palatine, Ill.-Palatine) found Fountain for the Titans' sixth goal with seven seconds to go. 

Leading 6-3 into the second stanza, Hanson wasted little time scoring a quick goal to expand the lead to four, 7-3, but the Falcons fought right back. UW-River Falls scored four unanswered goals to even the score at seven all. 

Another stout save by Rymarcsuk put the Green and White back on attack, where Gleason found Fiandaca for a goal to reclaim an 8-7 IWU advantage with 7:06. 

UW-River Falls once again battled back, tying the score at nine with one minute remaining in the half. The Falcons appeared poised to score in the final seconds, looking to capitalize on an IWU miscue, but Rymarcsuk stood tall.

With the game even at nine into halftime, Gleason found Fountain for a quick goal just 38 seconds into the third. Gleason then fed Fiandaca for a goal, eclipsing 100 points for her career with the helper. 

Momentum remained in favor of the Titans as Riepe forced a turnover in the midfield. The heady defensive snag from Riepe paid off as Fountain buried a free-position goal to up the Titan lead to 12-9 with 9:20 left in the quarter. Each team scored once more as the third ended with Illinois Wesleyan clinging to a 13-10 lead.

After the Falcons cut the lead to two on a free position goal, Fountain responded with her sixth goal of the night to tie the school record. She joins Landry Elliott (twice) Dani Engelbreit (twice), current head coach Grainne Kelly (twice), current teammate Britney Maldonado, Laure Pavich, and Claudia Richman as the program record holder.

The Green and White poured it on from there, opening up a 17-12 lead on a goal from Maldonado. The goal, which came with 3:25 to play, was the final tally by either side as the game was called due to lighting in the area with 3:05 left.

The Titans remain at home for a midweek College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin game against Elmhurst University. Game time is scheduled for 4 p.m.