Anelise DiGiovanni and Carleigh Fountain against Carroll 2024

Kodiak Creative

Women’s Lacrosse Hosts Edgewood & Lake Forest for Home Opener

Titans face Eagles Saturday, follow with Foresters for Sunday contest

2/27/2025 4:30:00 PM

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - After enjoying its first win of the season in shutout fashion, the Illinois Wesleyan University women's lacrosse team awaits its home opening weekend, as the Titans (1-1) host Edgewood College Saturday, March 1, and follow with a battle against Lake Forest College Sunday, March 2. Saturday's contest is set to begin at 4 p.m., while Sunday's action will start at 1 p.m.

Illinois Wesleyan returns home after a 23–0 victory over Illinois Institute of Technology Wednesday, Feb. 26. It marks the first shutout for the Titans since they defeated Elmhurst University with the same score April 10, 2019. The win is the first for first-year head coach Abby Kushina. Junior Sadie Newton (Bloomington, Ill.-Normal Community) led the team in points with seven, led by a team-best four assists, while senior Avery Setzler (Bloomington, Ill.-Bloomington) scored a team-high five goals. Senior Mia Fiandaca (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles North) rewrote the record book, as she finished with eight caused turnovers and 10 ground balls, both of which are single-game records for the Titans.The St. Charles, Ill. native also led the team in draw controls, finishing with 12. Senior Lizzie Rymarcsuk (Lake Zurich, Ill.-Saint Viator) registered the win in goal, playing the first half of action, while freshman Marli Brown (Kansas City, Mo.-Notre Dame de Sion) logged the lone save of the night in her collegiate debut, as she stopped a free-position attempt to preserve the shutout.

Two games into the season, Setzler leads the team with 10 points, coming on a team-high eight goals and two assists. Newton is second on the team with nine points, composed of a team-leading five assists and four goals. Fiandaca rounds out the top-three scorers with six points, all of which are goals. Newton and sophomore Chloe Heyl (Houston, Texas-Emory/Weiner) sit third on the team in goals with four apiece, while Setzler, junior Carleigh Fountain (Orland Park, Ill.-Carl Sandburg), and freshman Maddie Gibson (Fenton, Mo.-Rockwood Summit) are all tied for second on the squad with two assists each.

Newton and Fiandaca are tied for the team lead in draw controls, with each having won a dozen on the season, and Setzler is third with three. Fiandaca also leads the team in ground balls, having scooped up 11 in the first two contests of the season. Newton and Setzler are second and third, with seven and five, respectively. Ranked second in the country in caused turnovers per game, Fiandaca leads the team with 12 caused turnovers, averaging six per game. Newton and freshman Carly Bajusz (Naperville, Ill.-Naperville North) are tied for second on the team with three forced miscues apiece.

In goal for the Titans, Rymarcsuk has logged 90 minutes between the iron, having recorded 10 saves with a .500 saves percentage, and has a 6.67 goals against average, the 30th-best in Division III. Brown has 30 minutes under her belt with one save on a single shot attempt.

IWU will face Edgewood (0-1) for the third time, having taken on the Eagles the last two seasons. The Titans are the winner of both previous matchups, including taking the most recent on the road for a 17-10 victory March 2, 2024. Fountain led the team with seven goals, tying what was then the program's single-game record. Then-sophomore Sarah Riepe (Aurora, Ill.-St. Francis) finished with a team-high five ground balls, while Fiandaca posted five caused turnovers to lead the defense. Stepping in at goalkeeper, then-junior Bri Kiser (Crown Point, Ind.-Crown Point) notched her first collegiate win, as she finished with 13 saves on 23 shots for a .565 save percentage. Edgewood enters the weekend off a season-opening loss to College of Saint Benedict, falling 17-4 Sunday, Feb. 23.

Hosting the Foresters (0-1) on Sunday, IWU and LFC will meet for the second time, with the inaugural matchup coming last season. The Titans fell on the road, 21-8, April 3, 2024. Britney Maldonado led the team with five points, composed of three goals and two assists, while Newton tied for the team-lead in goals, also scoring a hat trick. Setzler posted a team-high six draw controls, and then-sophomore Anelise DiGiovanni (Lockport, Ill.-Lockport Township) recorded a team-best three caused turnovers. DiGiovanni and Setzler accrued three ground balls apiece. Kiser logged all 60 minutes in goal, making seven saves. Lake Forest opened its season against Carroll University, narrowly dropping the contest, 10-9, Saturday, Feb. 22.

A live stream of each match can be found by clicking here, while live stats can be followed here.

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