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Women's Lacrosse celebrates first win of 2025 season at IIT Feb. 26, 2025
23
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 1-1, 0-0
0
Illinois Tech IIT 0-3, 0-0
Winner
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
1-1, 0-0
23
Final
0
Illinois Tech IIT
0-3, 0-0
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 7 4 5 7 23
Illinois Tech IIT 0 0 0 0 0

Game Recap: Women's Lacrosse |

Women’s Lacrosse Shuts Out IIT, Kushina Earns First Win

Titans secure first shutout since 2019

CHICAGO - The Illinois Wesleyan University women's lacrosse team secured its first win of the season in shutout fashion, as the Titans downed Illinois Institute of Technology, 23-0, Wednesday, Feb. 26. The win marks the first for head coach Abby Kushina, and is the first shutout since IWU beat Elmhurst, 23-0, April 10, 2019. With the win, the Titans improve to 1-1, while IIT dips to 0-3.

Leading the Green and White offense with seven points, junior Sadie Newton (Bloomington, Ill.-Normal Community) tied her career-high point total behind three goals and a career-best four assists. Senior Avery Setzler (Bloomington, Ill.-Bloomington) followed with six points, and led the team with five goals, tying her career-high. Racking up her first collegiate points, sophomore Chloe Heyl (Houston, Texas-Emery/Weiner) finished with five points behind four goals and an assist. Senior Mia Fiandaca (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles North) also posted four goals in the win. Freshman Maddie Gibson (Fenton, Mo.-Rockwood Summit) logged her first collegiate assist, and was second on the team with two helpers. 

Fiandaca dominated the draw for Illinois Wesleyan, finishing with 12 draw controls. Newton was second with five, and freshman Sophie Shore (St. Peters, Mo.-Francis Howell) and Setzler each accrued two.

Helping lead the Titan defense that only allowed one shot attempt, coming via a free-position, Fiandaca finished with a career-best eight caused turnovers, the most in a single-game in program history. Freshman Carly Bajusz (Naperville, Ill.-Naperville North) was second with three forced miscues, followed by Newton's two. Fiandaca also led the team with 10 ground balls, the most in a single-game, to beat her previous best by two. Newton scooped up a career-high six, and Setzler added four for IWU. 

Senior Lizzie Rymarcsuk (Lake Zurich, Ill.-Saint Viator) was credited with the win in goal, as the senior logged the first 30 minutes between the iron. Freshman Marli Brown (Kansas City, Mo.-Notre Dame de Sion) finished the game in goal for the second half, making one save on the sole shot on goal for IIT.

Fiandaca got the Titans on the board quickly, as she buried the first shot of the game to put the visitors up 1-0, needing just 13 seconds to do so.

Bajusz caused a turnover, leading to a junior Carleigh Fountain (Orland Park, Ill.-Carl Sandburg) goal, and junior Sarah Riepe (Aurora, Ill.-St. Francis) fed Newton to put IWU up 3-0 with just under eight minutes to play.

With seven minutes remaining in the first quarter, Bajusz sent a pass to Heyl, who buried a backhanded shot for her first career goal, giving Bajusz her first collegiate assist. Heyl notched her first collegiate assist 22 seconds later, as she dished the ball to Fountain to put the Titans up 5-0. IWU scored two more goals in the opening quarter to take a 7-0 lead. 

Setzler kicked off the scoring in the second quarter, as she used a free-position attempt to her advantage with 12:47 remaining in the first half. The second quarter featured goals from Fiandaca, Setzler, and Newton to finish the first half at 11-0 in favor of the Titans.

Opening the second half of action, Newton found the back of the net off a pass from Fountain in the first minute of action. Heyl raced through the IIT defense and ripped a shot for her second goal of the night, and followed with another quickly after to secure her first hat trick, this time utilizing a pass from Gibson. Newton found Setzler for a goal to close out the third quarter, 16-0.

Powered by a woman-up opportunity, Shore notched her first career assist, as she found Gibson for a goal to begin the final quarter. Keeping the streak of freshmen scoring, freshman Lillie Keeton (Bloomington, Ill.-Bloomington) sent a pass to Bajusz, who buried it for her first collegiate goal, and Keeton's first assist, upping the score to 19-0. Shore followed quickly after with her first goal, bringing the lead to 20-0. 

After three more Titan goals, IIT looked poised to end the shutout, as the Scarlet Hawks drew a free-position attempt with 19 seconds remaining. Brown, making her collegiate debut, made the save to preserve the score at 23-0 as time expired, securing IWU's first shutout win since 2019.

Illinois Wesleyan returns home for its home opener Saturday, March 1. The Titans host Edgewood College for a 4 p.m. bout inside Tucci Stadium.
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