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Gage Black celebrates goal against Carthage 5/1/24
© AshtinElder
11
Carthage CARTHAGE 8-9, 2-3 CCIW
12
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 12-3, 5-0 CCIW
Carthage CARTHAGE
8-9, 2-3 CCIW
11
Final
12
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
12-3, 5-0 CCIW
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Carthage CARTHAGE 0 4 4 3 11
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 3 4 3 2 12

Game Recap: Men's Lacrosse |

Men’s Lacrosse Fends Off Firebirds to Advance to CCIW Tournament Title Game

Championship game set for Saturday, May 4, at noon

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The top-seeded Illinois Wesleyan University men's lacrosse team held off a second-half comeback to clip Carthage College, 12-11, in the semifinal round of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Tournament Wednesday night, May 1, under the lights at Tucci Stadium. With the win, IWU (12-3) advances to the CCIW Tournament Championship game, where the Titans will take on second-seeded Elmhurst University at Tucci Stadium Saturday, May 4. Meanwhile, Carthage closes the season with an 8-9 record.

In all, eight Titans registered points in the win. Senior Gage Black (Peoria, Ill.-Dunlap) led the way with five points on five goals, while sophomore Noah Dretzka (Delafield, Wis.-Kettle Moraine) posted a two-goal, two-assist effort to finish with four points. Freshman Timothy McHugh (Orland Park, Ill.-Mount Carmel) dished out three helpers, while senior Trystan Seeley (Castle Rock, Colo.-Castle View) added two goals and an assist in a three-point night. 

Junior Colin Tervo (West Linn, Ore.-West Linn) made 17 saves in goal to earn the win, while also pacing the Green and White with seven ground balls. Aided by a 7-for-13 effort at the X, senior Zo Lombardo (Elgin, Ill.-Saint Viator) scooped up five ground balls to go along with an assist. Senior Ethan Hart (Littleton, Colo.-J.K. Mullen) and junior Sam Skelton (Portland, Ore.-Franklin) tied for the team lead with two caused turnovers apiece. 

Lombardo's win at the X got the Titans running from the start, as Black net a goal less than a minute in off a pass from McHugh. Seeley doubled the Titan lead before Black corralled a deflected pass and ripped a shot through traffic to give IWU a 3-0 advantage. McHugh drew a penalty with 0.2 seconds on the clock on a last-second scoring effort to send Illinois Wesleyan into the second with a man-up opportunity.

Quick movement from John Kittoe (Waunakee, Wis.-Waunakee) to McHugh ultimately landed in the possession of Jake Kahoun (Worthington, Ohio-Thomas Worthington) to extend the lead to 4-0 early on in the second.

Winning the ensuing faceoff, the Firebirds net their first goal of the game at the 12:24 mark, more than 18 minutes into the contest.

The Titans quickly responded though, as Black overpowered a few Firebirds before unleashing a shot into the back of the net. The goal pushed IWU's lead to 5-1.

Three straight Carthage goals saw the Illinois Wesleyan lead shrink to one, 5-4, with 7:34, but Dretzka shook off his defender and buried a shot to thwart the Firebird run and propel IWU ahead, 6-4, with less than six minutes to go until halftime.

Setup by an intercepted pass by Tyler Crawford (Cary, Ill.-Prairie Ridge), Illinois Wesleyan garnered a man-up opportunity with three minutes left in the half. IWU took full advantage as McHugh passed to Dretzka, who found Black for a strike. 

After a key save by Tervo with about two minutes before the break, IWU went into halftime in front, 7-4.

Carthage struck twice to pull within one in the third, but Lombardo won a faceoff and immediately found Kahoun for the score. The quick punch back was followed by a man-up goal by Black as IWU reclaimed a 9-6 advantage with 12:04 on the clock.

The Illinois Wesleyan run continued as Dretzka found Seeley for a strike to make it 10-6 in favor of the home team. 

A 4-1 run by the Firebirds knotted the game at 11-all as the clock hit five minutes, but a key win at the X by Lombardo put IWU on the offensive right away. Sophomore Kaden Gammelgaard (Lake Zurich, Ill.-Lake Zurich) came away with the ground ball on the restart and after holding off pressure from Carthage. Kahoun fired off a shot that was saved, but sophomore Sam Weinberg (Highwood, Ill.-Oak Park River Forest) tracked down the scoop to maintain possession. The Titans unloaded three more shots before Dretzka converted on Seeley's assist. The goal put IWU in front 12-11 with 3:37 left to play.

Carthage would not let up though, winning the faceoff and putting a shot on goal, but Tervo denied it to keep Illinois Wesleyan on top. The junior keeper grabbed the ground ball and sent IWU downfield on the clear, where the Titans would take the clock down under a minute. 

The Firebirds made one last-ditch effort, but the Green and White defense shut it down to preserve the one-goal victory and push IWU into the title game.

Illinois Wesleyan will face No. 2 seed Elmhurst this Saturday, May 4, at 12 p.m. inside Tucci Stadium. Admission to the game is $10 for adults, $5 for seniors, students, and children ages 6-14. Children under the age of five and current CCIW students with a valid institution ID are free.
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