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Bloomington, IL - April 20 - NCAA Men's Lacrosse: Illinois Wesleyan vs Elmhurst (Photo by Jimmy Naprstek/Kodiak Creative)
Kodiak Creative
13
Winner Illinois Wesleyan IWU(1)~1 4-0
9
Benedictine (IL) BENUM 0-2
Winner
Illinois Wesleyan IWU(1)~1
4-0
13
Final
9
Benedictine (IL) BENUM
0-2
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Illinois Wesleyan IWU(1)~1 6 0 2 5 13
Benedictine (IL) BENUM 2 4 1 2 9

Game Recap: Men's Lacrosse |

Men’s Lacrosse Defeats Benedictine on the Road

IWU moves to 4-0 with the win

LISLE, Ill. – The Illinois Wesleyan University men's lacrosse team took down Benedictine University 13-9 during its midweek road trip as the Titans climbed to 4-0 on the season and the Eagles faced their second loss (0-2) of the young season.

As a team, the Green and White dominated the stat sheet leading in shots (59-22), assists (10-6), ground balls (35-25), faceoff wins (22-4), and caused turnovers (14-12). The Eagles led the way in saves (13-5) and clears (25-16). 

Sophomore Timothy McHugh (Orland Park, Ill.-Mount Carmel) led the Titans with six points, matching his career-high of five assists, good for the team-lead, while also scoring one goal. Fifth-year Ike Eastburn (Colorado Springs, Colo-Cheyenne Mountain) finished with a team-high five goals. 

Senior Nick Schroeder (Waunakee, Wis.-Waunakee) had a stellar night at the X, going 17-for-19 and accruing a team-lead five ground balls. Junior Michael Rocco (Libertyville, Ill.- Libertyville) went 5-for-7 at faceoff with one ground ball scoop. Senior goalie Colin Tervo (West Linn, Ore.-West Linn), facing only 22 shots on the night, totaled five saves while notching a team-lead tree caused turnovers. Senior Nick Horrocks (Boulder, Colo.-Fairview) and junior Karsten Nordlie (Roscoe, Ill.-Hononegah Community) each had two caused turnovers while totaling two and three ground balls, respectively. 

Benedictine cracked the scoreboard first just four minutes into the game. Following a BenU turnover, IWU found its opportunity to level the score on a short-range goal by junior Cole Kennedy (Waunakee, Wis.-Waunakee), his first of the season. 

Junior Noah Dretzka (Delafield, Wis.-Kettle Moraine) gave IWU its first lead of the night before the dynamic duo of McHugh and Eastburn went to work connecting for three straight goals across a three minute span, putting the Green and White ahead 5-1. Benedictine halted the IWU run with 3:03 left in the first but a goal from fifth-year Gage Black (Peoria, Ill.-Dunlap) with another McHugh helper, regained the four-point lead to take a 6-2 advantage into the second period. 

Benedictine made up a ton of ground through the second 15 minutes, scoring four straight goals to tie it up at 6-6 while keeping the Titans scoreless in the second period.

McHugh shook off a defender for the curl-around goal to break IWU's scoring drought and regain a 7-6 edge with nine minutes left in the third period. 

Senior Sam Skelton (Portland, Ore.-Franklin) came through with his athletic prowess as he caused a Benedictine turnover at midfield and quickly executed on the scoop & score to pull ahead, 8-6.

The Eagles managed to put away another goal with one minute on the clock in the third as the Titans carried a slim 8-7 lead into the final 15 minutes. 

Rocco won the opening faceoff to start the fourth period kick-starting an easy connection from senior John Kittoe (Waunakee, Wis.-Waunakee) to Eastburn to put the Green and White up 9-7 just five seconds in. Black found Dretzka for the junior's second goal of the night to push IWU to double-digits, 10-7. 

The Eagles answered with a pair of goals to bring it back within one with eight minutes remaining. 

Another forced miscue by Skelton set up a goal for sophomore Nate Pound (Theinsville, Wis.-Homestead) off the assist from McHugh just before Kennedy dished to Eastburn for the Titans' 12-9 lead. Black was good for one more goal on the evening with the assist from Pound to seal the 13-9 win over the Eagles. 

Illinois Wesleyan shifts its focus to its home opener Saturday, March 1 as the Titans host Albion College for a 1 p.m. contest inside Tucci Stadium. The IWU women's lacrosse team will follow with its first home game of the season against Edgewood College at 4 p.m.
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