MLAC huddles after goal against Carroll on Senior Day - April 26, 2025

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Men’s Lacrosse Hosts North Central for CCIW Semifinal

Game time in Tucci Stadium set for 7:30 p.m.

4/28/2025 4:30:00 PM

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The Illinois Wesleyan University men's lacrosse team is set to host No. 4-seed North Central College Wednesday, April 30, for a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Tournament Semifinal game at 7:30 p.m. inside Tucci Stadium. The Titans claimed the No. 1 seed after locking in their seventh-straight perfect conference slate with a 26-7 win over Carroll University Saturday, April 26 to earn the CCIW Regular Season title outright.

With the win over Carroll on Saturday, Illinois Wesleyan climbed to a 12-2 overall record and remained undefeated in league play at 4-0. The Green and White is currently running on a six-game winning streak. Seventeen Titans got in on the scoring action against the Pioneers with sophomore Timothy McHugh (Orland Park, Ill.-Mount Carmel) leading the way with six points on two goals and four assists. Fifth-year Ike Eastburn (Colorado Springs, Colo.-Cheyenne Mountain) contributed five points all by way of goals, marking his third five-goal game of the season. Freshmen Charlie Burghardt (Milwaukee, Wis.-Brookfield Central), Owen Miller (Brookfield, Wis.-Brookfield Central), and Jack Vander Kooi (Buffalo, Minn.-Buffalo) each recorded their first career goals in the regular season finale.

McHugh continues to lead the team in points, totaling 66 through 14 games this season, on 22 goals and 44 assists. The sophomore tops the conference with his 3.14 assists per game and is third in the league with 4.71 points per game. Additionally, McHugh ranks 11th across Division III this season in assists per game.

Eastburn ranks fourth in Division III with a .540 shot percentage and sits 29th nationally with 3.26 goals per game. Eastburn is second on the team in points with 48, with 47 of those being from goals and one assist.

Senior faceoff specialist Nick Schroeder (Waunakee, Wis.-Waunakee) leads the team with 94 ground balls and a .605 faceoff win percentage, while fellow senior Sam Skelton (Portland, Ore.-Franklin) tops the team with 26 caused turnovers on the year. Tervo, IWU's starting goalie, carries an 11-2 record into the tournament with 156 saves recorded and a .531 save percentage.

IWU's defensive front continues to impress, leading the conference in both ground balls per game (40.86) and caused turnovers per game (11.93). The Titan defense also holds national rankings of 19th and 29th in those categories, respectively. IWU's scoring offense leads the conference with a 15.29 goals per game average, a mark that ranks 28th nationally while also ranking ninth in Division III in team winning percentage (.857).

North Central brings a 7-5, 1-3 CCIW record into Wednesday's semifinal matchup as the No. 4 seed in the conference tournament. The Cardinals recently fell to Elmhurst on their senior day, 15-7, Saturday, April 26. Wednesday's game will be NCC's second trip to Bloomington this season and the first since IWU defeated the Cardinals 19-10, April 9. The Green and White hold an 8-0 edge over NCC and have seen the Birds in the conference tournament only once before back in 2021, when the Titans beat North Central in overtime, 18-17, in the CCIW Championship before going on a run to the NCAA Elite Eight.

Wednesday's CCIW Tournament Semifinal under the lights of Tucci Stadium is set for 7:30 p.m. Admission will be cash only and is as follows:

Adults	$10
Seniors 65+, students, children ages 6-14	$5
Children ages 5 and under	Free
Current CCIW Students with valid institution ID	Free
No Event Passes accepted

No. 2 Elmhurst University will host No. 3 Carthage College for another CCIW Semifinal game on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. Winners of both games will meet in the CCIW Championship on Saturday, May 3, at the higher-remaining seed.

Wednesday'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.

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