Grace Spader paying attention in a huddle against DePauw March 6, 2024

Women’s Lacrosse Travels to UW-River Falls for Non-Conference Contest

Action is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.

3/28/2024 4:00:00 PM

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - After enjoying two straight games inside Tucci Stadium, the Illinois Wesleyan University women's lacrosse team will kick off a stretch of three straight games on the road with a non-conference battle against University of Wisconsin-River Falls Saturday, March 30. Action is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. inside Smith Stadium at Ramer Field.

The Titans (5-3) enter the contest off a 20-14 loss to University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Saturday, March 23. Senior Britney Maldonado (Hoffman Estates, Ill.-James B. Conant) led the Green and White with four goals for four points, while juniors Mia Fiandaca (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles East) and Avery Setzler (Bloomington, Ill.-Bloomington), along with sophomore Devon Hanson (Waukesha, Wis.-Waukesha West) each tallied three points. Setzler led the defense with a career-high five caused turnovers.

Off to a sensational senior season, Maldonado leads the nation with 42 assists, just seven shy of tying the Titans' season record, and her 5.25 assists per game average is the second-highest nationally. On top of racking up assists, Maldonado sits fifth in the country with 68 points, and her average of 8.50 points per game ranks third. Fiandaca's 29 goals are a team-best, and her 32 points are second. Hanson and fellow sophomore Carleigh Fountain (Orland Park, Ill.-Carl Sandburg) follow Fiandaca with 25 and 24 points, respectively.

At the draw, Hanson leads the Titans with 47 on the season. Fiandaca is second with 32, and sophomore Sadie Newton (Bloomington, Ill.-Normal Community) closely follows with 31. Junior Bri Kiser (Crown Point, Ind.-Crown Point) has scooped up a team-high 28 ground balls, followed by Hanson with 26 and sophomore Sarah Riepe (Aurora, Ill.-St. Francis) with 21.

On the defensive end, the Titans have wreaked havoc on teams, making them work for every goal, as IWU leads the nation in caused turnovers per game, averaging 18.63 caused turnovers per game. Leading the way for the Titans are Fiandaca and Hanson, with 28 and 24 caused turnovers, respectively. Newton rounds out the top-three with 16.

Logging every minute for the Titans in goal, Kiser has recorded 72 saves on a .391 save percentage in 480:00 minutes of action.

IWU and UW-River Falls will face off for the fourth time in program history. The Titans hold a slim, 2-1, advantage in the series, and took the most recent meeting 17-12 March 31, 2023. The contest saw Fountain lead the Green and White with seven points on six goals and an assist, while Fiandaca added five goals. Hanson led the game with eight draw controls. Then-sophomore Lizzie Rymarcsuk (Lake Zurich, Ill.-Saint Viator) recorded the win in between the iron, posting 20 saves. UWRF most recently defeated Milwaukee School of Engineering, 22-2, Tuesday, March 19, to improve to 4-2 on the season. The Falcons will face Carroll University Friday, March 29, prior to Saturday's game.

A live stream of the game will be provided, and can be accessed here, while live stats can be found by clicking here.

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