Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content
Sarah Riepe looking to pass against Edgewood March 1, 2025
Kodiak Creative
13
North Central (IL) NCC 8-4, 1-1 CCIW
22
Winner Ill. Wesleyan IWU 7-7, 2-1 CCIW
North Central (IL) NCC
8-4, 1-1 CCIW
13
Final
22
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
7-7, 2-1 CCIW
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
North Central (IL) NCC 4 3 1 5 13
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 4 7 8 3 22

Game Recap: Women's Lacrosse |

Women’s Lacrosse Downs Cardinals

Titan offense powered by junior quartet

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University women's lacrosse team picked up a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin win over North Central College inside Tucci Stadium Wednesday night, April 16. The Titans defeated the Cardinals 22-13 to improve to 7-7 overall, and 2-1 in CCIW contests. NCC dips to 8-4, and 1-1 in league play. 

Illinois Wesleyan's offense was highlighted by a career day from junior Sarah Riepe (Aurora, Ill.-St. Francis). Riepe collected her first collegiate hat trick, and tied her personal-best mark of three points. Senior Mia Fiandaca (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles North) led the team with five points, coming on three goals and a pair of assists. Also powering the Titan offense, the quartet of freshman Maddie Gibson (Fenton, Mo.-Rockwood Summit), and juniors Anelise DiGiovanni (Lockport, Ill.-Lockport Township), Carleigh Fountain (Orland Park, Ill.-Carl Sandburg), and Sadie Newton (Bloomington, Ill.-Normal Community), all posted four points apiece. Newton finished with a team-best four goals, while Gibson notched three goals and an assist, and DiGiovanni and Fountain tallied two goals and a pair of helpers. 

At the draw, Fiandaca led the way with nine of the Titans' 20 draw controls. Riepe totaled a career-best six, while Newton added two. 

Senior Lizzie Rymarcsuk (Lake Zurich, Ill.-Saint Viator) put on a show in goal for the Green and White. Rymarsuk led the team with nine ground balls, establishing a new career-high, a mark that is tied for second in a game in program history. The senior notched 11 saves en route to the win in between the posts. Riepe finished second on the team with four ground balls, while four Titans scooped up two apiece.

Newton tallied a team-high three caused turnovers, followed by two from Fiandaca, to help guide the IWU defense.

The Titans led statistically in shots (40-21), shots on goal (31-24), saves (11-9), ground balls (25-18), draw controls (20-16), and capitalized on 15-of-22 clears, while NCC finished going 12-for-20. The Cardinals held the slim edge in turnovers, finishing with 19 to IWU's 20. 

A slow start saw Illinois Wesleyan trail early in the contest, falling behind 3-1. Gibson picked off a pass attempt by the NCC goalkeeper, and scored an easy one-on-one goal to bring it back within one, 3-2, at the 8:53 mark in the opening period. Rymarcsuk came up with a save, and Riepe leveled the game at three goals apiece with 5:52 left to play in the first quarter.

North Central called timeout after forcing an IWU miscue, and capitalized on the reset with a goal to take a 4-3 lead. Drawing a free position with two seconds left on the clock, DiGiovanni made good use of it, as she buried her shot to tie the game at 4-4 to end the first period of action. 

Back-to-back North Central goals kicked off the second quarter, but IWU answered with five straight. DiGiovanni found Fiandaca for a shorthanded goal to cut into the deficit, 6-5. After Riepe stole the ensuing draw, Fountain quickly found senior Avery Setzler (Bloomington, Ill.-Bloomington) for another shorthanded goal to even the contest at six goals apiece with 10:06 left to play in the first half.

IWU took its first lead of the day, as Gibson buried a shot, the third woman-down goal for the Titans, to give the Green and White a 7-6 advantage at the 9:40 mark. The third straight goal for the home team forced the Cardinals to burn a timeout. 

Fountain made it a two-score game, 8-6, as she quickly snatched a bouncing ball and fired it past the goalie with 8:36 remaining. Staying hot, Fountain fed Newton, who spun off her defender for a goal to make it 9-6 in favor of the Titans, with 7:37 left in the opening half. 

After NCC halted the IWU scoring run, DiGiovanni cut through a slew of defenders to put the Green and White up 10-7 at the 4:37 mark in the second period. Rymarcsuk had a point-blank save, and IWU made quick work, as Gibson found the back of the net for a goal to make it 11-7. North Central drew a free position with eight seconds remaining in the half, and Rymarcsuk came up with a key save to send the Titans ahead 11-7 at the break. 

Opening up the second half, Fountain maneuvered through NCC defenders for a goal to make it 12-7 with 12:25 on the clock. North Central turned it over in IWU's attacking zone, and Newton scooped up the ground ball to set up the Titan offense. DiGiovanni sent over a dish to Fiandaca, who found the back of the net to make it 13-7 shortly after.

Another Rymarcsuk save set up the home team's offense, as this time Newton found the top corner for a goal to make it a seven-score game with 10:07 left on the clock. Rymarcsuk stayed locked in, as she stopped another free-position attempt, scooped up the ground ball, and found freshman Sophie Shore (St. Peters, Mo.-Francis Howell Central). Shore raced down the field to get the Green and White going. After Setzler's shot flew off the NCC goalkeeper, Riepe scooped up the ball to keep possession, and Fiandaca weaved through traffic for another goal, making it 15-7. 

NCC answered with a free-position goal to cut into the lead, but the Titans closed out the third period with four straight goals. Fiandaca started the run by finding Newton for a score, and a freshman-to-freshman connection followed, as Gibson found Carly Bajusz (Naperville, Ill.-Naperville North) for her first goal of the game. Shortly after, Bajusz drew a free-position, and made it a 10-goal differential with 3:09 remaining. Freshman Makenna McVey (Dunlap, Ill.-Dunlap) closed out the third quarter with a goal, giving IWU a 19-8 lead going into the final 15 minutes.

The lead was enough to sustain, as IWU would go on to win, 22-13.

The Titans remain home and will take on Carthage College for a crucial CCIW contest Saturday afternoon, April 19.
Print Friendly Version