BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The Illinois Wesleyan University men's lacrosse team is set to host its final of three-straight home games Saturday, April 12, as the Titans welcome Carthage College to Tucci Stadium for a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin matchup. Game time is set for 1 p.m.

Illinois Wesleyan brings a 9-2 overall record into Saturday's contest and sits 1-0 in conference play after taking down North Central College in its CCIW opener, Wednesday, April 9. A 4-0 hot start for IWU set the tone early for the Titans' 19-10 victory over the Cardinals Wednesday evening, a contest that was led by fifth-years  Bob Boone (Los Angeles, Calif.-Notre Dame) and Ike Eastburn (Colorado Springs, Colo-Cheyenne Mountain). The duo scored five points each, all by way of goals, to lead the Titan offense.  Sophomore Timothy McHugh (Orland Park, Ill.-Mount Carmel) and senior Sam Weinberg (Highwood, Ill.-Oak Park River Forest) shared the team-high of three assists while also recording a goal each. 

Senior Nick Horrocks (Boulder, Colo.-Fairview) set new career-highs with a team-lead five caused turnovers and six ground balls. Senior Nick Schroeder (Waunakee, Wis.-Waunakee) went 14-for-23 at the X and had a team-lead 10 ground balls while also getting in on the scoring action with a goal and an assist. 

Senior goalie Colin Tervo (West Linn, Ore.-West Linn) served 50:39 minutes in goal against NCC and accrued 11 saves while junior Sam Scott (Worthington, Ohio-Thomas Worthington) spent 9:21 between the pipes and recorded three saves. 

McHugh leads the team in points through 11 games this season, totaling 53 on 19 goals and 34 assists. The sophomore tops the conference with his 3.09 assists per game and is third in the league with 4.82 points per game. Additionally, McHugh ranks seventh across Division III this season in assists per game. As a team, IWU has outscored its opponents 165-129 and its scoring offense ranks 21st nationally.

IWU's defensive front continues to impress, leading the conference in both caused turnovers per game (12.36) and ground balls per game (41.00). The Titan defense also ranks 20th and 15th in those categories, respectively.

Carthage brings a 9-3 record into Saturday's matinee and currently sits 0-1 in conference play after falling 15-12 in its season opener against Elmhurst University. 

Illinois Wesleyan holds a 10-5 series advantage over Carthage dating back to the 2014 season. Despite dropping the first five meetings in IWU's early seasons, the Titans currently have a 10-game winning streak over the Firebirds. The last time these two teams met was in last year's CCIW Tournament as IWU came away with the narrow 12-11 victory in a tournament semifinal game. Then-senior Gage Black (Peoria, Ill.-Dunlap) led the way with five goals, with then-sophmore Noah Dretzka (Delafield, Wis.-Kettle Moraine) following with two goals and two assists, while then-freshman Jake Kahoun (Worthington, Ohio-Thomas Worthington) also had two goals against the Firebirds. 

IWU and Carthage match up well heading into the weekend as IWU tops the conference with 15.00 goals per game and CC is close behind with 14.50. 

Saturday's CCIW contest will be available via live stats and live stream. Access to both can be found here or on the men's lacrosse schedule page of iwusports.com.